


Dora's favourite sentence

by Cactisting



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Derek Hale is a Softie, M/M, Magical Stiles Stilinski, Spark Stiles Stilinski, Stiles Stilinski Deserves Nice Things, Stiles Stilinski is Part of the Pack, and made it to Harvard!, but very very light angst, five years went by since they left high school, it will be explained later don't worry, pre-columbian stuff, stiles is also not part of the pack, stiles is nostalgic, the pack doesn't understand anything
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-12
Updated: 2020-02-28
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:34:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 24,897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22229497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cactisting/pseuds/Cactisting
Summary: After graduating High School, Stiles left Beacon Hills and went to Boston to pursue his studies.Problem is that the pack didn't appreciate it very much and they lost contact.Five years later, Stiles is back in Beacon Hills for summer break.
Relationships: Allison Argent/Scott McCall, Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Lydia Martin/Jackson Whittemore, Malia Tate/Kira Yukimura, Vernon Boyd/Erica Reyes
Comments: 9
Kudos: 125





	1. Back home

Stiles left Beacon Hills when he was barely nineteen.

He didn’t leave because he had big dreams, those had been crushed down already. He didn’t leave because he wanted to find a chance for a better future, he didn’t leave because he wanted to see something else, he didn’t leave because he wanted to get away from all the monsters that had invaded his hometown.

He left because he wanted to own his life. 

Life had always chosen for him. It had chosen to take his mom away from him, it had chosen to make an outcast out of him at school. It had chosen to make him find out about supernatural beings and fight them. And despite all the times he had fought a battle to save Beacon Hills from some monster, he didn’t feel like he belonged in Beacon Hills, because he had never wanted to have to kill someone or something, or anything, life had forced him to.

He hated that. He hated himself for it.

The worst of all was that he didn’t feel like he fitted inside the pack. He felt useless and weak and lonely.

He didn’t want that either.

It was no one’s fault, really. The pack had always made him feel welcomed, at least not unwelcomed. 

He was the problem. Bad thoughts invaded his mind continuously and he was drowning in them, unable to fight against them. They were calmer when he was surrounded by people, anyone, because he could be noisy and people were noisy too and all that noise helped him forget the thoughts. The worst was when he was at home however, laying on his bed awake in the middle of the night, when the silence he had kept avoiding all day was the only one to keep him company. It was impossible for him to get away then, because everyone had to face their demons at some point.

That’s why he left. He believed that going away would help him get better. He wanted to go somewhere nobody knew about the loss of his mother, somewhere nobody knew about him at all. Maybe forget about the supernatural stuff that had happened during the previous years. Get to know new people who would like him, who he wouldn’t associate with his past. He didn’t want to end the friendships he had developed throughout the years.

He thought everyone would understand. He really did think so.

What’s risible though, is that only Scott, his father and Melissa did. Not even Derek, who had fled several times to get away from his own past, did. It was ridiculous, really, how he had glared at him with all the venom he was able to produce. Lydia had spit some hurtful comments at him and walked away. He wished he had been able to turn his back on all the bad things that had happened to him the way she had turned her back on him.

When the entire pack started ignoring him, he felt like a traitor.

Still, he left Beacon Hills in the middle of July. Two bags mostly stuffed with clothes in the back of his jeep. He hugged his father, his best friend and Melissa, then he hopped into the vehicle and that was all. Nobody else came to wish him a good trip, to tell him to stay safe, to say goodbye, even though he had hoped so.

Maybe they didn’t care as much as he thought they did.

He listened to Radiohead all the way to Boston. He made a stop in Salt Lake City, Denver, Lincoln, Chicago and Toronto. He barely spoke to anyone, the waiters and the hotelkeepers for the most part. The saddest part of it was that he never felt as free as he had expected to. Quite the opposite actually, the feeling of loss was heavy in his chest.

On the road, he cried a few times, silently. He had to stop once or twice on the side of the road to calm down because there were so many tears flooding his eyes that he couldn’t see the road anymore.

In Boston, he rented a tiny apartment, the kitchen in the same room as his bed. He paid it with the meagre amount his parents had saved for him during his childhood and with the salary he received working in a café five evenings a week. He never felt the need for something more spacious and he couldn’t have afforded it anyway. What he would have liked though, would have been some company. He had thought about adopting a pet but had decided against it because he didn’t have the time to take care of it correctly. He made sure to spend as little time as possible in his apartment, preferring to go study in the school library or in a quiet square. Despite him not really being a party guy, he jumped on the occasion of going out every time he could to avoid the loneliness he was overwhelmed with at his new home.

He was well-liked by his fellow students. They found him funny and easy-going, kind of the epitome of the Californian guy in their eyes. What made him really special though, was the fact that he was simpler than those who came from big cities. He wasn’t interested in celebrity gossip, he wasn’t interested in showing what a great, interesting life he had. He loved nature, wasn’t that interested in fashion. He had been seen as an outcast back in Beacon Hill, but there, in Boston, he was seen as a hipster. And it made a whole lot of a difference in the way people treated him. He was greeted in the corridors, at the cafeteria there was always a group that kept him a place at their table, he was invited to a lot of parties. He had joined the Quidditch club of his school as well as the Comics club.

He spent time with many people -many as in many more than back in Beacon Hill- but he had a few great friends. His favourite was Thais, from Peru, because he was smart, quick witted and most of the time, he was the only one to catch Stiles’ jokes. He also shared Stiles’ passion for comics and sci-fi films, they had by the way met at the first meeting of the Comics club of Stiles’ entry year. Unlike Stiles however, Thais liked clothes of quality, always well-dressed and elegant. He rarely talked, preferring to listen to the others speaking, his brown eyes huge and bright from curiosity. He studied History, was specialized in the Pre-Columbian Civilisations, and was employed part-time by the Harvard Museum of Natural History. There were also Mila, a Texan girl, Elif, who came from England, Milan from Michigan, William, who had lived in Boston all his life, Kilyan, a cute Canadian boy and finally Tala, an Amerindian who came from California as well. With them, he felt loved and accepted, which hadn’t really been the case back in Beacon Hills. 

They often smoked pot together at one of their home, never at Stiles’ nor Elif’s because their apartments were too small for all of them. They’d stay up all night, laughing at nothing, chill music in the background. Those were nice nights, his favourite actually. He appreciated going to clubs, but when he had the choice, he went for the quiet nights because sometimes, it reminded him of pack nights.

Life slowly went better and even though he still felt lonely sometimes, Stiles became happier, little by little.

For five years, his father, Melissa and Scott were the ones to visit him. He refused categorically and systematically to even think about going back to Beacon Hill. Not because he didn’t want to. What prevented him to go was a feeling of shame he didn’t understand because he didn’t have any reason to feel like that. At the end of his tenth semester in Boston, he decided that he’d be the one, for once, to visit his father in the summer.

The sigh of the wind caressed the green leaves on the trees like the bow does with the strings of a violin in a _portato_. The touch was light, then heavier, the whistle low became noisier. The joyful chirps of the birds and the laughs of the children mingled with the breath of the wind, creating a hymn of joy.

The sun shined bright and high in the sky, warming that afternoon of August. The nature seemed to waltz while following a silent symphony. Bloomed flowers bathed in the sunlight, scattering here and there the yellowish green grass.

A car stopped in front of the Sherriff’s house, Rock’n’Roll blasting from the speakers and cut short when the driver pulled up. Stiles got out of the car, made his way around it until he reached the trunk and took a bag out of it. He slung it over his shoulder and walked over to the door at a low pace.

He hadn’t even knocked on the door when he perceived the sound of quick steps, then the door opened on a middle-aged man. A huge smile adorning his face, he took a good look at the young man, his son.

His brown hair was longer and dishevelled, reaching the middle of his neck. He had a bit of a beard too. He was lean but somewhat toned, his skin still pale and dotted with moles. He wore a baby blue sweater with black skinny jeans and red high top Converse.

Then the Sherriff stared intently at his face. He had bags under his round whiskey-coloured eyes, his cheekbones more prominent than before –it seemed like he had lost all of his baby fat-. His eyes were not as bright anymore, but he kept that mischievous tingle in them. His closed lips were forming a still line. He felt a bit taken aback by the situation. He had obviously seen that his son had changed, but seeing his son so different in the neighbourhood in which he had seen him grow up was something else.

-I missed you Stiles. The father murmured, his smile softening, less toothy and more sincere.

-I missed you too dad.

And it was all it took for Noah Stilinski to engulf his son in a bear hug. They laughed, on the verge of tears.

After a while, Noah grabbed Stiles’ bag and brought it inside, mumbling that he had to take care of Stiles now that he was back.

The young man closed the door after he entered the house and took a deep breath. His nostrils filled themselves with a mix of apple pie, dust and something he had never been able to put a name on but that he associated to _home_. His eyes wandered around, taking sight of the hall that hadn’t changed since his departure. There were pictures of his dad, his mom and himself younger on the left wall. Some paintings he made –and was ashamed of- in Elementary and Middle school on the right one. The carpet stayed the same brownish colour. Nothing had changed and it made him feel nostalgic. He could almost hear Stevie Wonder’s _Lately_ in the back of his mind, warm and broken at the same time, portraying his own emotions.

His father came back from his room, the wooden stairs creaking under his weight. His expression was light, a heavy contrast with his son’s.

-Well, what are you waiting for here? Why aren’t you already in the living room? He inquired, lifting his right eyebrow.

Stiles blinked, then he smiled a little.

-I spaced out.

They made their way to the living room, Noah slightly behind his son, his hand on his back, trying to hide a grin. He just managed not to bump into him when Stiles stopped abruptly in the doorway.

-Scott? Melissa? What are you doing here? Stiles exclaimed with surprise. He probably should have expected their presence.

Scott immediately jumped on him, embracing him for dear life and breaking his train of thought at the same time. He was stronger than Stiles remembered, at such point that he almost knocked Stiles out of breath. The strength of his werewolf friend never ceased to amaze him as he kept on picturing Scott as his frail and asthmatic best friend in the back of his mind, even after almost ten years of Scott being a werewolf.

-I’m so, so, so happy that you’re back! I missed you so very much! Scott nearly shouted in his ear, voice delighted, squeezing Stiles. 

-Me too, Scotty.

He put his nose in the crook of his best friend’s neck and inhaled his familiar scent. It was musky, with a hint of spice. The hair on his nape tickled his nose, poking in his right eye. But it felt right, because his skin was so warm and somewhat comforting that not only his skin, but his soul felt it too. It shook him because for the first time in a while, he was not alone.

Both young men parted just enough to be able to take a good look at one another, managing to still hold onto each other someway. Scott’s face was not so different despite his longer hair and his growing beard. His body in the other hand was way broader than Stiles remembered, even though they had seen each other the summer before. He had always been the slimmest between the two of them but he never thought he would one day become actually jealous of Scott’s corpulence. His eyes were moist and happy, his smile huge, his expression pure glee.

Keeping his arms around Scott, he shifted his attention to Melissa whose eyes were crinkled in contentment. She slowly approached them, as if careful not to burst their bubble, and sweetly ran her fingers through Stiles’ hair, a soft smile on her face.

-Oh Stiles, you’ve grown up so much! You were about this height when you left. She made a small gesture with her hand, just above her hip to emphasize the words, her smile turning teasing.

-Well, at least I gained a few centimetres. I can’t really say the same about you Melissa. He replied with a wink.

-I would ask you to show a tiny bit more respect big boy. Otherwise you won’t have a single slice of the cake I specially made for you. That would be a pity, wouldn’t it?

-‘m sorry Ma’am. He snickered.

-Silly boy. She sighed, amused.

Stiles let go of Scott as Melissa hit him on the back of the head. He faked a groan of pain while the two other men headed to the kitchen, in order to bring the plates on the dining table.

Scott’s mother ruffled Stiles’ hair once again as they sat down next to each other. They joked a little, watching Scott and Noah bustling in the kitchen. Finally, all the plates were on the table and, soon, the sound of forks squealing on the porcelain plates and light, happy laughters filled the dining room in a bizarre symphony.

-For how long are you staying here? Melissa suddenly asked Stiles, who was still laughing at one of his father’s work stories.

The student dried his cheeks, having laughed so much that he had started crying.

-For two weeks, he answered, taking a slice of meat with his fork before bringing it to his mouth.

-That short? Scott let out, spitting.

-Well, yeah. Still have a paper to finish and give back. The young man took a sip of water. And I want a great mark, the best one maybe. 

-You’ll have it anyway. His father snorted next to him.

-You don’t know that.

-I’ve seen your grades, they’re even better that when you were in High School and I don’t know many people you could say the same.

-You don’t know many people to begin with.

-Excuse me? I know a whole lot of people.

-If you count all the corpses you’ve had to deal with in you carrier as person, then sure.

-You sure you want to stay two weeks?

Stiles directed an unsympathetic smile at his father and resumed eating.

-Well, I guess we’ll have to do with two weeks then! I have tons of plans for the two of us. Scott chirped, clapping his hands together, sauce on the corner of his lips and grinning excitedly. 

His excitement touched Stiles.

-I’m looking forward to it, then. He responded a bit softer.

-Outside of hanging out with Scott, what are you planning to do?

-I thought about hiking maybe. I’ll probably visit the Preserve. Mostly relax anyway.

-Student life is such a hard life. Melissa sighed, falsely sympathetic.

-Like you’ve never been one. Stiles seemed to think for a moment. Maybe you’re right, maybe I should get a PhD. I could get multiple PhDs.

Everyone hummed and Stiles smiled. He felt at peace, happy. It seemed he had never been away.

-Well, thank you very much for the lunch Sheriff Stilinski. Scott and I will be going now as Stiles still needs to unpack and you certainly would appreciate some quality time with your son, wouldn’t you Noah?

-With this guy? Nah.

The Sheriff lightly shoved his son on the shoulder. He too sounded happy, thrilled even.

The McCall said goodbye and once they were out the door, Noah caught his son’s arm and pulled him to himself, encaging him in a strong embrace. They stayed quiet for a while, Stiles felt a few tears falling from his father’s face on his neck but kept his mouth shut, not wanting to break the moment. He had missed having his dad near. It had been hard at first in Boston, when he had a blues attack, he couldn’t count on his father to comfort him. He couldn’t have the light tap on the back to congratulate him when he made a good mark, he couldn’t have the hand caressing his head when he stayed up too late, he couldn’t have the kiss on the forehead when he felt somewhat sad, he couldn’t have any of that when he was in Boston because his father wasn’t with him and even though he could call and text him, it wasn’t the same as having his reassuring touch. He let himself loosen up completely, leaning with all his weight in the hug his father was giving him.

-I missed you kiddo, and I’m proud of you, so, so proud of you Stiles, you can’t even imagine. I couldn’t have had a better son. You’re clever, you’re fun. You’re great Stiles.

He felt fingers sliding into his hair, caressing them softly. He buried his nose in his father neck and sighed because he had missed him too.

-Well, you should unpack now, otherwise you won’t do it at all before your departure.

Stiles took a step back, drying his eyes. He hadn’t realised that he had been crying too. He looked at his father, meeting his humid eyes, then smiled and went to bring his belongings in his room.

He didn’t know if he had expected it to have changed, but it hadn’t, and he felt a knot in his stomach realising it. He didn’t know if it was nostalgia or relief, perhaps was it both. He didn’t want to ponder on that, he didn’t have the energy to do so. He emptied his bag in order to put his clothes away in his closet.

He went back downstairs afterwards and sat on the couch beside his father, who had already turned on the television and had prepared both of them coffees. The student had a lot of stories to recount and started babbling as soon as he was seated. He told his dad about his friends, told him about his job at the café and the regulars, he told him about life in Boston, in a big city, about all he could do and see there. Of course he had told him stories before, but it was different, because at the moment they had time they hadn’t when they phone called each other or when his father was visiting him. When the sheriff went to Boston, it was only for a few days, two or three most of the times, and Stiles wanted to show him then more than he wanted to tell him. The father kept looking affectionately at his son. He appeared content and it was all he had ever wished for him. He was undoubtedly a tiny bit heartbroken not to have his little boy close to him anymore, but if it meant that he was happier, then he was willing to let him go to the other side of the planet if he wanted to. Maybe he would follow him there in this case.

They chatted until twilight, ordered Chinese because neither of them wanted to cook and finally went upstairs, giving each other one last hug before going to sleep.

The next day, Stiles and Scott were sitting on a booth, facing each other. The sunlight, fading, illuminated their profiles with a faint glow, warm and comforting against their skin. A smell of grease, hot bread and maple syrup lingered in the air. Scott had invited Stiles the previous day to the brand new diner near his house. They hadn’t had a meal with only the two of them since last summer. Scott hadn’t been able to go all the way to Boston for Christmas because of an _issue_ and Stiles refused categorically to visit him in Beacon Hills.

-Ya know, Ally’s been askin’ ‘bout you. Scott said, munching grossly on his burger.

-Ew, gross. Swallow before you speak. Stiles mumbled, rolling his eyes, ignoring the content of Scott’s sentence because it would hurt to pay attention to it.

They continued eating in silence, until Scott spoke again.

-Avoiding problems doesn’t resolve them. He spoke abruptly, startling his friend.

Stiles paused. He put his burger back on his plate, cleaned his hands, then his mouth with the white napkin that laid on the side of his plate, slowly. He glanced outside before looking at Scott. There was no hint of a single emotion on his face.

-I’m tired.

Scott sighed, eyes down, lips between his teeth. He had ketchup on the corner of his lips, on his greasy fingertips. He first played with the hem of his napkin, leaving red and yellowish spots on the white fabric. Then he stared at his friend, his irises clear and honest, sunshine reflecting in them.

-We could go out with Ally, watch a movie or something. The three of us. It could be quite nice to hang out.

-I’d rather not.

A beat. None of them spoke for a moment.

-She understands now, you know. Scott finally said, taking a bite of his burger as if to close the subject.

Stiles looked at his dark haired friend. He licked his lower lip a few times, bit them too. His index finger tapped a random rhythm against the wooden table they were sitting at. He thought about going out with Allison and Scott, thought about the old times, when they did go out and it meant nothing particular. The present was different though. They had grown up, they had changed. He hadn’t seen Allison for a while and their last encounter had not been pleasant. He didn’t know what to do. Since his departure, he never thought he would ever get back the friendship he once had had with the others. At the moment however, it seemed like it wasn’t totally over yet. It wouldn’t hurt that much to try, would it?

-Maybe… Stiles sighed, feeling a tad bit out of place suddenly. Maybe we could try.

Scott smiled slightly. 

-I love you very, very much Stiles.

Said man half-smiled. It felt nice to share a moment with Scott. He felt a bit nervous at the idea of seeing Ali again, mostly because he didn’t want to see Scott’s upset face if the encounter didn’t go as well as he would like it to. Stiles didn’t really care about the outcome of the encounter for himself. He had made up his mind long before about friendships. But Scott, Scott was still hopeful that everything would be back to normal, one day. Stiles didn’t want him to be disappointed. But he didn’t get much time to think about it as Scott quickly changed the topic of discussion.

-And how’s it going in Boston? He grinned, his head cocked on the side. 

Stiles shrugged, as he ducked his head, a smile slowly gracing his face.

-It’s going great. My grades are pretty good, my neighbours are fine.

-It must be so weird to be back here, without all the horning and sirens. Are you able to sleep at night? Scott teased.

The student chuckled, his amber eyes crinkling ever-so-slightly.

-They say that New York is the city that never sleeps but Boston’s nightlife has its fair share of craziness too. Next time you come, I’ll introduce you to clubbing.

-Ew, not my thing, thank you very much.

-Have you ever tried?

The werewolf made a face, which meant that no, he had never tried and he never would. Stiles shrugged, it was his lost after all.

-And with your friends?

A heavy silence fell between them for a while.

-They’re doing great, too. Mila and Tala are graduating this year, I’m pretty sure Tala’s going to go for the PhD afterwards. William’s repeating his second year because he’s changing faculties. He’s a genius so they let him keep his credits.

-You’re a genius too, you know. Scott pointed, accompanying his words with a movement of his fork.

-That’s what you used to say.

-That’s what I’m saying now, because it’s true. You’re the smartest and most resourceful person I know, Stiles.

-You don’t know a lot of people.

-I know enough people to be sure of what I’m saying.

-That’s nice. Stiles smiled softly. How are _you_ doing?

-Well, Deaton’s giving be a bit of a hard time sometimes, but mostly it’s going well. Last week we had a pet snake that had eaten one of these scrunchies. The little girl was more upset about the hair band than about her pet dying. Some parents should set priorities better on the values they teach their children.

His friend snorted, it wasn’t that surprising.

A waitress came to clear their table as Scott asked Stiles if he wanted a dessert. The later declined the offer because he was full. The black-haired man took the time to smell the air, happy when he only detected joy and serenity in Stiles’ scent.

Both of them put their jacket on before they went outside, the air having cooled down since their arrival at the restaurant. Once outside, Stiles lit a cigarette, Scott doing as if he hadn’t noticed anything. It didn’t shock him per say, it was just unexpected.

A completely irrelevant question suddenly crossed his mind.

-Have you encountered werewolves in Boston?

The student exhaled slowly, seemingly trying to find an answer.

-To be honest, I didn’t pay much attention to the supernatural stuff happening around Boston. I probably have.

-Maybe you should be more careful when you go back. Scott worried, biting his lip. You’ll have my scent over you.

-As long as I don’t cause them trouble, it should be fine.

-But what if someone attacks you?

-I’ll be fine, Scott. It won’t be anything that I haven’t handled by myself before.

-But here you’ve got a pack, you’re all by yourself there!

-Scott, please, I _don’t_ have a pack. And I’ve had to take care of myself. It has happened, it might happen in the future. There’s nothing that either of us can do, so let’s drop the subject and talk about something more joyful, shall we?

The werewolf let out a tiny whine but complied anyway. They made their way to their car, Scott accompanying his friend to his. He was elbowed against the roof of the jeep, Stiles already sat in his vehicle, when a car entered the parking lot. He immediately recognized the red convertible and the two people inside. He saw them sniff the air as they went out of the car and directing their puzzled gaze to him before a look of realisation spread out onto their face. The black-haired man looked right into their eyes as he shook his head. Tight-lipped, they nodded and turned their back, making their way to the entrance of the restaurant.

He dropped his gaze to Stiles, who was already looking at him. Judging by his sourer scent, he knew exactly what had just happened, he didn’t comment on it though, preferring shoving lightly his friend in the stomach.

-I can’t go home if you don’t let go of my car Scott, wouldn’t want to injure you by inadvertence. He winked, his half-smile a bit less delightful than before. 

The werewolf snorted before bidding goodbye to his best friend and walking to his own car, letting deliberately the car door of his friend open.

-Don’t forget to bring a bag with enough change for two days tomorrow when you come by mine! He yelled, keeping his pace.

He chuckled when he heard a snort and the door of a car closing.

He had prepared an awesome surprise for his best friend.

It was seven in the morning when Stiles turned off the contact of his car in front of Scott’s house. Not a minute later was the werewolf out, a bag hanging off his own shoulder. He was grinning like a fool as he made his way to the vehicle.

-Come on, we’re taking my car.

-You’ve got your own car?

That was new for sure.

-Duh-uh. It was kind of a necessity since I don’t have you as a chauffeur anymore. He winked as Stiles joined him inside of the car.

-Nice one you got there.

The vet grinned proudly and drove off.

-Where are we going?

-Somewhere you never went.

-You don’t know that.

-I’m pretty sure actually. Unless you’ve come back in California once without telling me, which I would be very upset about.

Stiles hummed, watching the landscapes go by. It was strange because there were a lot of calcined land. Entire forests he had passed by were gone, replaced by ashes and dreadful sceneries.

-How has it been going with the fire? My dad refused to tell me anything.

-Not great. The Preserve has been spared for the most part but we fear it’s going to burn as well at some point.

-You must feel bad, knowing that in this case you can’t do much about it. There’s no monster to fight, no spell to counter. Just nature and elements.

Scott kept silent for a while.

-It sure is bad but... It must be worse for Cora and Derek, because, well, fires.

Two beats.

-What do they say at your school? Asked Scott.

-Tala is an Amerindian native, she suffers a lot every time she hears that California flared up once again. The other students, well, for the most part think that it’s our doing. There are only a few that think it’s only natural.

-What do you think?

-It’s our own fault. He shrugged.

Scott nodded, staring at the road.

-The number of animals in the Preserve is diving drastically.

-Oh that’s… bad.

-Yeah. What do you plan on doing next year? Once you’ve graduated? The change of subject was kind of brutal but it didn’t bother the student.

-Not sure. I’d like to join the FBI or the CIA, anything where I can be useful, really. I just don’t want to open a cabinet and listen to people complaining all day long. That’s just not for me.

-I bet. The werewolf snorted.

-Hey, not cool.

-You’re just not one for empathy.

-Hard to compete with you.

They laughed, the mood lighter than it had been a few moments before.

-Do you even think about coming back to Beacon Hills?

-I don’t. Seeing a flash of disappointment crossing in his best friend’s eyes, he picked up again. It’s just that it hadn’t crossed my mind. It’s not only because of the pack, it’s also because, well… I have big dreams and, I’m not, I’m just not sure if Beacon Hills is big enough for them. Boston made me realise a lot of things. I have access to a lot of information there, I have access to culture, there are museums and art galleries, there are clubs where you speak about pop culture. People understand me there. I’m not saying that metropoles are always better than small towns, it’s just that, it could be better for me to live in a place where people want to know, to understand and where learning is possible. Stiles nibbled at his bottom lip. There’s something else. I, I want to see the world now. I want to travel, visit new countries, new places, and it’s not with the salary I would get at some workplace in Beacon Hills that I could.

-Since when… since when do you feel like this?

-For a long while. I think it’s about the time when you were bitten.

-So it’s my fault?

-It’s not. It’s just that you are a werewolf now and you fit in the pack. You’re useful. I never felt like I was. It doesn’t matter anymore, I’m better now because I’m a human in a human world and I will maybe be able to be useful to the human world. It has nothing to do with you, or the pack, it’s just me and my… issues, I guess.

-When you left, I thought it was only about your mother and you wanting to have access to the best education possible. I never thought it was about your… feelings. How could you hide them so well when you were at all times surrounded by werewolves?

-I guess it’s because other feelings were more prominent. Are you angry at me for not having told you?

Scott seemed to consider it carefully.

-I’m not. I’m upset, but it’s just because it’s kind of hard to take. He chuckled sadly, without taking his eyes off the road. You’ve done what was the best for you at the time and it’s the best thing you could’ve done.

Stiles’ mouth twitched upwards.

-And you, are you still planning on staying in Beacon Hills all your life?

-Well yes. Plain, old and boring Beacon Hills is the best place in my eyes.

They laughed again.

-Joke aside, I have everything there and I don’t have big dreams of accomplishment like you do.

It was Stiles’ time to nod.

-You still won’t tell me our destination?

-You’ll know soon enough, we’ll be there in an hour or so.

-You know that I know we are going to Los Angeles, don’t you?

-We’re not.

-Sure. I know how to read road signs.

-Good for you. Maybe I should have blindfolded you.

-You haven’t though.

-I haven’t and I am now being devoured by regrets.

-Sweet.

They continued their bickering until they went past Hollywood. A look of realisation passed through Stiles’ eyes and his smile broadened. He didn’t utter a word however, not wanting to spoil Scott’s surprise, even though he probably already knew.

They parked and hurried out of the car, overexcited like kids, almost running to the gates. They first had to go put their bags into their hotel room, because Scott had rented a room in a hotel inside the park. It took them about thirty minutes to get there but it didn’t bother them much and once the bags had been thrown onto their respective bed, they rushed outside to the new Star Wars theme park. They spent the whole day there, eating sweets and doing over and over again their favourite rides. Despite the fact that it was vacation time there weren’t many people because it was a weekday, which was great because most of the time they queued less than forty minutes before acceding to a ride.

They screamed, they yelled and they laughed all day long and it was great because it was so, so easy. They had nothing to worry about outside of having fun. For a while, they could forget that they were adults, that they had grown up.

It was about eight when they went back to the hotel. They had eaten all day therefore they weren’t hungry at all. In spite of the tiredness washing over them, the two young men decided to have a drink at the bar of the hotel. Both of them took a glass of red wine and even though objectively it was not the best wine they had ever drank, they found it incredible because it tasted of liberty and bliss.

They went to their room, changed into pyjamas, brushed their teeth and wished each other a good night.

The following morning, they woke up around eight, had breakfast in the restaurant of their hotel and agreed on exploring the rest of the park.

Around noon, they had just gotten in the queue for the Splash Mountain Ride when someone behind them tapped on Scott’s shoulder. They both turned around and were met with a guy that Stiles didn’t recognize.

-Hey Scott, how are you doing? The stranger’s attitude was friendly and open, he was smiling broadly at his best friend. 

-Hey, I’m good, and you Keith?

-Great! He exclaimed, before turning to Stiles. And you’re Sheriff Stilinski’s son, aren’t you?

-I am. Two beats. I’m sorry to be blunt but I can’t seem to remember you?

Stiles cringed at his own words but _Keith_ didn’t appear fazed at all.

-I was a friend of Jackson back in High School. I brought my dog to the vet clinic a few months ago and Scott here treated him!

-Oh, that’s great.

Keith nodded, then went back to chatting with the friends accompanying him.

-He had never spoken to us before, had he?

Scott snorted.

-Of course not. He wouldn’t have known who I was when he came to the clinic if I hadn’t wore a nametag and he probably remembers it because I didn’t comment on the fact that the poor dog was sick because it had eaten a whole box of chocolates. You know these boxes you get for Christmas with chocolates stuffed with alcohol? It ate that.

-Ew.

-Yeah. I had to pump it all out of its stomach. Poor thing.

-This is so dumb.

-It sure is.

-Want to grab a bite after this ride?

Scott glanced at his watch.

-Why not, most people will be done eating by then.

-That’s why I suggested.

-Smartass.

However, they prediction had been incorrect, most people were still eating, so they chose to take pretzels and ate them while walking around the park. They did a few more rides before going back to the hotel to take their bags. They didn’t want to stay in the park too late as Scott had still to drive them all the way back to Beacon Hills. 

Once in the car and before they drove off, Stiles pinched the werewolf in the arm to get his attention.

-I’m really thankful for this two days Scott. Thank you very much.

The vet grinned and preened because he had made his friend happy.

-You’re welcome Stiles, always.

And off they went.

Stiles doze off during most of the trip. He hadn’t known he was that tired.

Scott pulled off in his driveway at around six and a half, exhausted as well. He woke Stiles up by shaking lightly on his shoulder. The student stirred out of sleep slowly, stretching his long limbs in the small space and punched his werewolf friend by accident.

-Oops, sorry.

-No problem.

They got out of the vehicle, yawning, took their respective bags and found themselves face to face afterwards.

-Thank you once more, Scotty. It was awesome.

Scott smiled, then he took his friend in a strong embrace, stroking his back lightly.

-It was my pleasure. Drive home safe and be prepared to our next adventure.

Stiles guffawed and headed to his own car. He got in and waved at Scott while pulling back his car.

The next day was a quiet one. Stiles had decided that he would go walk around the Preserve and that’s what he did.

He followed a trail in the forest that lead him to a creek. He stayed sat on a stone near the creek for a while. The place was rather ugly, the ground was all muddy and brown, the stream was small, its water opaque. But the place was quiet, and it was all he needed.

There was a bird chirping not far above his head, hidden in a tree. From time to time he could hear dry leaves crunching under the feet of little animals and the water streaming quietly a few feet below. At some point, he laid down on his back, arms crossed under his head, legs spread out. He hummed faintly a song he had in mind and recalled the times in his childhood when he played in that same forest with Scott. They ran after each other, fought together against invisible monsters they didn’t know actually existed. They played hide and seek, rolled in the leaves and came back home all muddy, dishevelled and grinning. Those were happy times.

He had to have dozed off at some point, because when he came round his surroundings were bathed in a golden light. He got up, dusting his clothes absentmindedly, taking a sight around him. He sighed and started to follow the trail back to his home.

Walking, he crossed the road of a fox that scattered away the moment it saw him. He chuckled at that thinking that a few years before the fox would probably have been a murderous, magical being that wasn’t really a fox and that thought he would be an interesting prey. It didn’t bother him in the slightest way to encounter a mere fox.

Once at his house, he found his father already cooking their dinner. Stiles greeted him, asking how had been his day. Nothing special had happened, he had done paperwork and drank a coffee outside with detective Parrish.

-Do you want to watch a movie tonight? His father offered, munching on his broccoli.

-Sure. Which one?

The Sherriff swallowed what he had in his mouth.

-The Mandalorian. It’s a good one.

-I know right.

-Of course you’ve seen it. His dad exhaled, rolling his eyes.

-I watched it with you actually.

-Really?

-Nope.

-Well, I’m delighted to know that you grew up without losing your attitude.

The Sheriff’s son winked smugly at him while taking a spoonful of rice.

-I’m never getting rid of my attitude.

-Good to know. You should however get rid of the rice you’ve got here. Noah pointed at his collar with a circular motion and when Stiles bowed his head to find it, the father gave a light tap on the top of his unsuspecting son as a vengeance.

-Thank you very much dad.

-You’re very much welcome son.

They ended up bickering long after they had both finished eating and when they finally decided to clear the table and sit in the living room, the movie had already begun.

-See, that’s all your fault dad.

-Of course.

-You could get us popcorn, as a punishment.

That earnt Stiles a cushion thrown at his face and no popcorn whatsoever.

On Saturday, Stiles was woken up by a horning car just in front of his house.

He got up sleepily, dressed himself in a white T-shirt with a picture of black palm trees and the ocean reflecting the sunset behind them tucked in straight light jeans. He put a pair of bright yellow socks and his red Converse on and went downstairs afterwards.

-What is it? He asked opening the door while rubbing his eyes.

-We’re going on a new adventure! He recognized Scott’s voice as he yelled.

He looked at his best friend, seated comfortably in his car, bright smile on.

The student went back inside to find his keys, took a jean jacket with him just in case and closed the door before locking it. He took his time to make his way until the vehicle.

-And where are we going this time?

-We’re going to volunteer at the SPCA!

-That’s… surprising. What are we gonna do?

-Walk the dogs, play with the kittens and the puppies. Pet the pets!

The werewolf beamed, proud of his own joke.

-That’s cool.

-I know right.

They sang along the songs that passed on the radio during the trip, which was of about ten minutes long by car.

They were greeted by excited barks and trembling fences. They entered the shelter, Scott leading the way.

-Oh Scott! Glad to see you. Are you here for adoption? A middle-aged woman with dreadlocks and big brown eyes asked once they were at what seemed to be a reception desk.

There effectively was a desk, in the middle of room, with papers scattered everywhere on the table. The woman was standing behind the desk, it appeared that she had been doing some paperwork before their arrival. Stiles didn’t find neither a laptop nor a computer when he looked around, he then supposed that she was one of those people who refused to use anything electronics. She seemed nice and sweet, probably single since she didn’t wear a ring. She was kind of the epitome of the shelter owner in his eyes.

To be fair, he had never met one before her and she met all his presumptions.

-It’s nice to see you too, Claris. We’re actually coming to take care of the pets. Stiles here is the son of Sheriff Stilinski.

-Nice to meet you Stiles! She looked overjoyed by his presence, certainly thrilled because someone new could from then onwards speak about pet cruelty (he was being cynical there), and he felt really awkward because of all that attention because he was not one for activism.

He would gladly make a donation to her shelter but he would not, under any circumstance, go knocking at his neighbours’ doors to raise awareness against pet mistreatment. He gladly let that to Mila because she sure was an activist. Mila was really invested in making the world a better place and she often reproached him his lack of action. His other friends sometimes accompanied her to protests, with the exception of Elif because he was an eternal sceptic.

-Nice to meet you too Claris. He responded, offering her his right hand to shake.

She took it, shook it energetically and then she said that they could go freely as Scott already knew the place.

-How do you know her? Stiles inquired once they were far enough for her not to hear them talk.

-I’ve had to treat some of the pets here. Some came in very bad shape.

-She seems kind.

-She’s the kindest. She found an abandoned dog on the side of the road years ago and adopted it. She opened the shelter not long after.

Stiles nodded, examining the place. There was a long hallway with a light tiling floor. On each sides where rooms of about six square meters, seven rooms on each side of the hallway. Every single room was equipped with a glass door that opens to the outside, colourful blankets, large bowls made out of stainless steel filled with water and all kind of toys. The floors were perfectly clean and there were cat trees in some of the rooms. At the end of the hallway was another door that Scott opened and they were immediately met by a bunch of wagging tails. They struggled to make their way outside and Stiles closed the door behind them once it was done.

Scott couched down to greet the dogs, giggling as they licked his face and bumped into him. Stiles’ behaviour was more reserved, he waited on the dogs to calm down before petting them. He watched Scott being pushed down by an army of puppies while he caressed quietly the head of a Colley. He noticed a few spots where there lacked fur and wondered what kind of mistreatment it had gone through. He never asked though.

They played an hour or so with the dogs, something unusual for Stiles but fun nonetheless. He thought about volunteering once back in Boston, it didn’t seem like a bad idea at all. He could go on Sundays as they usually were quiet days.

Although the two young men had planned on walking the dogs, they didn’t go. They were lying in the grass, dogs snuggled up on their sides when Scott received a call. It startled everyone, the dogs started barking loudly and Scott had to go a few meters away in order to hear what the person at the other end of the call way saying. He came back to Stiles with a sheepish smile, announcing that there was an emergency at the vet clinic and that he had to get there as soon as possible.

The two of them hurried out of the shelter, waving goodbye at Claris, and Scott drove faster than what was allowed. Stiles just had the time to jump out of the car before Scott was on the road again and the student wondered if it really was an emergency at the animal clinic or if it was an utterly different kind of emergency. He wondered if murderous, supernatural beings visited the town as often as they did back when he still lived there. It was hard to tell, his father never came on that subject and when he spoke to Scott, they had other things to tell each other too.

His doubts were confirmed when his father came home unusually late. His face only showed tiredness so the student immediately knew that he hadn’t come back late because he had gone out for a drink with his friends but because he had been on an intervention. And it was just too suspicious that Scott had been called for an emergency at work on the same day, which should have been his day-off.

-What was it?

-What do you mean?

-You know exactly what I mean. What sort of creature was it?

The Sherriff sighed, pressed his fingers onto his closed eyes and then proceeded to shrug off his jacket.

-I don’t know Stiles, I don’t care. Some weird insect thing. No really it doesn’t matter. I just want to sleep and just don’t go hiking like planned because why would you even want to go hiking of all things? He snapped, throwing his shoes away and stomping up the stairs while grumbling under his breath about how _something_ was going to stick to his skin for days.

Stiles pinched his lips and went to the living room. He watched a few TV shows for a while before climbing up the stairs quietly. When arriving upon the door of his dad room, he opened it silently.

-Good night, dad. He whispered to the silence.

He closed the door behind himself and tip toed until he had closed the door of his own room. He changed clothes, turned off the light and stopped his steps on his way to his bed. He neared the window, watching intently the sky through it.

He couldn’t see the stars in Boston, at any time because of the light pollution. There however, he was able to make out a few stars and it caused an odd feeling to grow in his guts. He had never been that interested in space. He could obviously name a few constellations and he never said no to a night spent under the stars but he wasn’t one for astronomy. Yet that night seemed different. For the first time, he felt like he had missed the stars, which was completely nonsensical as he had never tried to look at the stars when he was in Boston. It was an idea that had never crossed his mind, ever. It suddenly seemed so normal to look at the stars.

On second thought, everything seemed so normal when it shouldn’t have. His outings with Scott, him watching TV in his childhood home, him going for a walk in the woods, his father coming back home fed up with the world and grunting at Stiles. It was as if he was never gone, which was stupid because he was still gone, in a way. He was coming back only for a few days. And nothing should feel normal because it had been an entire week of him refusing to go grocery shopping by fear of crossing the road of someone he didn’t want to see, of him avoiding the town centre. Everything seemed so normal and at the same time wasn’t at all.

Guessing it would be impossible for him to sleep before another few hours had passed because of his inner turmoil, he decided to send Thais a message. He stayed at his window, the left side of his head leaning against the cool glass. It wasn’t a comfortable position, but it kept his thoughts grounded, it kept him from thinking about things that would upset him more than he was already.

Waiting for Thais’ answer, he contemplated going back earlier to Boston. He could pretext that his employer needed him at the café because one of his colleagues had had a familial emergency. His father would be disappointed but wouldn’t try to hold him back.

It sounded like a good idea. Now that his life was more or less settled, well, more than before at least, he was less inclined to step out of his comfort zone. He had found a moderate peace in his life and was reluctant to let it go for an uncertain future. With that in mind, the prospect of following through his initial plan and staying in Beacon Hills for the following week started to frighten him because Beacon Hills had always meant some kind of trouble to him, which he dreaded.

And troubles had already begun with that feeling of false normalcy.

Stiles did not leave.

He couldn’t do that to his father. His father who was so happy to see him that he prepared him breakfast every morning before going to work. His father who bought him muffins on his way back from work every two days or so. The morning after the day Stiles had gone to the shelter with Scott, Noah had woken him up at six in the morning, shaking him lightly, had given him a cup of coffee the moment he had opened his eyes and had apologized profusely about his sour mood the evening before. He had said he had had a bad day, but that it wasn’t an excuse to lash out at Stiles.

He had dark circles around his eyes, his smile seemed tired and somewhat concerned. He clearly had had a rough night and the student wondered if his dad had thought about him going back to Boston earlier too.

His speculations were proved right in the evening. His dad had brought twice as many muffins he usually did and a relieved sigh escaped his nose once he had realized there was no luggage in the living room. He also stayed up longer that night. They watched three movies together, dined in front of the TV and the Sheriff gave a long hug to his son, punctuated by a kiss on the top of the head, before both of them went to bed.

Scott visited him twice that week, and he didn’t keep him company for long, for some vague reason Stiles suspected was a supernatural emergency.

He didn’t try to pry, as he had come to terms with the fact that ignorance was bliss.

He spent the remainder of his time there walking in the Preserve, because if he had never stumbled on a malicious supernatural being when he was in Boston, there was no reason he would during his vacation in Beacon Hills. He also read sci-fi books at home and exchanged a few texts with his friends. It was boring, but he had learnt to find joy in boredom. Maybe not joy, but satisfaction, as he had in some way succeeded in taking control of his own life. He had finally gotten the simple life he had wished to have and he was pleased with it. It felt like an achievement.

On his last Saturday, his dad organised a barbecue. He had invited Scott and Melissa, and they had come. They didn’t see each other much anymore either, since Scott had gotten his own place and since them both had demanding schedules.

Noah was the one in charge of the barbecue and it didn’t matter if he forgot the meat on the grill at some point. It didn’t matter if the sausages had almost burnt and had a rubbery consistency. Like the first day, Stiles laughed so much his chest hurt and he couldn’t stop hiccupping. He spent most of the lunch pricking at Scott’s arm with wooden skewers and shrieked every time Scott tried to imitate him.

But the fun ended quite quickly since Melissa received a call from the hospital, forcing her to leave early. She kissed both of Stiles’ cheek, dried a small tear that had left her eye and hurried to her car, waving goodbye. The vet didn’t stay long either because he had had an exhausting week and needed some rest. He hugged his best friend goodbye, promising to visit him soon in Boston.

Father and son lingered outside in a peaceful silence. It was nice to bathe in the sun, sitting next to each other. Stiles didn’t fear the silence as much as he did younger, he even surprised himself in enjoying it when he was with someone else.

He relished that private moment with his dad, as if nothing had changed, as if nothing would change. As if everything would forever be the same. He would have loved the idea of forever if it had really existed.

If only eternity had been possible.

Stiles waited on the sun to set before going inside, taking a nap on the grass. Noah was already preparing their dinner at the time and the student simply took place at the dining table, playing with his fingers. He had a knot in the throat since he had woken up from his nap and didn’t trust his voice to speak. It hurt a bit every time he had to separate himself from his dad, but it had never hurt that much since he had left Beacon Hills. He felt about to cry, and watching his dad concentrated on his cooking made it harder because he was probably on the verge of tears as well. 

It was pathetic, he was twenty four for fuck’s sake. He should be able to leave his father without thinking too much about it. He had a life waiting for him at the other side of the country. His father was a grown up, able to take care of himself. He had learnt how to cook properly.

It shouldn’t have been so hard.

Why was it even so hard?

Their dinner was punctuated by sniffles, but neither of them broke the heavy silence once.

That night, Noah embraced his son a bit harder, a bit longer.

The following morning, because of an emergency call he received from the station, the Sheriff woke Stiles up at four. He couldn’t go before telling him goodbye.

He hugged his son the hardest he could, a few tears rolling down his cheeks. Then he went.

And Stiles stayed.

The student drove off three hours later after having taken a deep breath, trying to implant the smell of his childhood home in his mind, and after having taken a good look around. He made a detour, driving past the station without slowing down, and off he went.


	2. Call For Help

It was around midnight on the East Coast.

The phone rang once, twice, thrice, vibrating incessantly on the wooden surface of the table until Stiles grabbed the object with a sigh.

He was buried nose deep into a paper of fifty pages he had to give back two weeks later. It was a pair project for his Psychology class. He had paired up with Steven, one of Milan’s closest friends. Steven was clever and creative, which was great for researches and presentations, but he hated speaking in front of many people. They completed each other pretty well in that aspect, even though they weren’t really fond of each other when it wasn’t for scholar purposes

Stiles wanted a good mark for this project so he couldn’t allow himself too much distraction. Fifty pages were a lot.

-What is it? He asked, taking a sip of tea.

The cup of tea had cooled down since he had brewed it and he didn’t like that very much. He preferred burning tea.

-We’ve got a problem here, something is-

-Wait up, what are you saying?

Incredulous, Stiles put his cup down and leaned on the back of his chair.

-Well, if you had let me finish I could have told you that something is killing men around town. Scott was clearly annoyed at the other end of the line.

He wasn’t the only one.

-Great, what does it have to do with me? Stiles wondered, crossing his left arm over his chest.

-We need your help. The werewolf responded with a flat tone, as if the answer should have been obvious.

-I won’t help you.

Silence.

-What the fuck?

-I will not help you Scott. I have things to do here, I’m not at your disposition or whatever. You’ve been able to manage the situations that came up to you without me for years Scott, I’m persuaded you can do it again.

-We’ve been able to manage them because we knew the creature that came or they were pretty clear about what they were, but we have a major issue right now because we know nothing about what’s happening. The only thing we know is that men are dying.

-It could be a serial killer.

-It’s not. Something’s off. You have to help us.

-Again Scott, I won’t help you. My life doesn’t revolve around saving Beacon Hills, my life revolves around getting my degree and helping you won’t help me achieve that.

-How can you be so indifferent to the death of other people?

-Death is a natural thing. It happens every single day in every single country of the entire world.

-For fuck’s sake Stiles! Can’t you be fucking serious for about two seconds!

-I am fucking serious! I won’t help you! What I’ve done in the past is something you can do as well! You just have to type whatever question you have about whatever creature on Google and then you’ve got billions of answers to your question. You can also use books if you want.

-You’re so egoist, I can’t believe it!

-Oh, because you aren’t? You’re asking me to come at the other side of the country to help you for something you can manage alone when someone else here in Boston is counting on my work. And you have the nerves to tell me I’m egoist? Screw you Scott. Big time.

-I don’t fucking care about your friend, is he going to die because you haven’t worked enough for your project? No!

-He could be suicidal what could you know!

-What? That doesn’t have to do with anything! Three men are already dead here! You have to help us!

-I don’t owe you any help! I don’t have to do anything for you!

-Stiles-

-Listen carefully Scott, I don’t want to help you. Have I made myself clear enough this time?

Just like that, he hang up on Scott. Because he was fed up and exhausted and that fucking paper was not going to write itself. He knew he was being unfair but he didn’t care. He didn’t care because he had a life in Boston and it was time Scott understood that.

He wasn’t a superhero. He wasn’t going to fly to the other side of the country to help people in need. He wasn’t that nice, he wasn’t that great. If Scott and his friends wanted to play superhero, they couldn’t force him to take part in the game too. They hadn’t the right to. He wasn’t being bitter, he was being logical. You can’t possibly ask someone to do exactly what Scott had _demanded_ him to do. That’s not fair. That’s not right.

With a sigh, Stiles got up from the chair he had been sitting on and made his way to the window. He glanced at the sky.

It was black. Jet black.

Not a single star was visible. The student felt kind of sad.

And suddenly self-consciousness and insecurity overwhelmed him. All of the time he was spending on his studies, did it make sense? What would he do after? Work? And afterwards, when he wouldn’t be able to work anymore, what would he do with his diploma? It was a paper. Only a paper. How could it stand against a friendship?

Maybe Scott wouldn’t want to put up with Stiles anymore after that argument. Years of friendship would have led to a single argument over a piece of paper and it would be it. No phone calls. No talks. No visit anymore.

No friendship anymore.

And who the fuck was Stiles to prefer a fucking piece of paper that wouldn’t be useful once he would stop working at the age of wrinkles and false teeth and Alzheimer over the lives of people he didn’t fucking know.

At least he knew the texture of the fucking piece of paper.

All considered, he knew more about the fucking piece of paper than about the people that were dead. Or the people that would soon be dead.

It wasn’t his business anymore, what happened in Beacon Hills. He had left. He should stay where he had gone. He should stay wherever the fuck he wanted as long as it was not Beacon Hills.

He was going mad.

And he still had that fucking paper to finish.

It was his dad who called the next time, five days after Scott’s call.

It was surprising it had taken him so long.

Stiles was sitting in the library, reading a book about Ethic and Moral Philosophy. He was about to start reading the forty third page of the book when a sudden apparition on his phone’s screen distracted him.

He was almost sure about what the reason of the call would be, but he couldn’t exclude the eventuality of bad news so he didn’t hesitate on responding.

-Is there a problem? He asked out of breath once he was in the corridor.

-Yes, there is a problem. His father assured gravely.

Stiles sighed noisily, rolling his eyes.

He leaned on the nearest wall.

-I thought I had been clear with Scott.

-And I thought I had taught you values. I never thought you could be that petite.

-I’m not going to listen to your monologue about braveness and justice.

\- You know you don’t have the choice Stiles.

-Actually, I do.

-Maybe you do. But you know that only one of them is the right one.

He hated that one, the line that's in all the bad movies, and the good ones, too. Stiles didn’t respond, munching on the collar of his chestnut brown sweatshirt.

He hated that line because it made him feel guilty about even considering what his father referred as _not the good choice._ Because what was not the right choice was sometimes the good one.

-Quit being arrogant and come here as soon as possible Stiles. And for the record, we _all_ have other things to do than fight against some shitty monster.

He was not being arrogant.

That was not Stiles who hang up that time.

Four days later, Stiles passed the welcoming sign of Beacon Hills at dawn, Thais fast asleep in the passenger seat. They had driven non-stop, relaying on coffee and on the music playing on the radio to maintain them awake. One of them drove while the other slept and so on. There was nothing that Stiles wanted more than nosedive into a bed and sleep until the end of times, but it would have to wait as they had first to make their presence known to the pack, even though Scott had surely already told them.

Stiles let out a yawn as he pulled into the Hale’s house driveway. He stopped the car, watched Thais sleeping face for a few seconds because he was kind of cute and then he shook his shoulder lightly to wake him up. Thais fluttered his eyes open, yawning and stretching his arms as much as he could in the tiny space.

-We’re here? He mumbled, eyes semi-open.

-We are. How do you feel? Stiles asked, his head still turned in Thais’ direction.

-Sore and tired, nothing I haven’t felt before. The smile on his face quickly morphed into yet another yawn, which made Stiles chuckle.

The later turned his head to look at the front porch of the house, where he could see Scott standing and frowning. Stiles rolled his eyes, gave a little tap on Thais shoulder and opened the door on his side to get out of the car. His legs were a bit numb so relief washed over him to be finally able of stretching them.

-Hello, he said to his best friend.

Once close enough, he embraced him lightly, too tired to go for the entire I-missed-you-bro hug.

-You’re exhausted, the werewolf accused, tone upset.

-Sure am. Treating myself to a great night of sleep after we discussed.

-You’ve been careless to drive in this state! How can you be so stupid?

-Thais was with me and the matter seemed quite _urgent_.

-Why did you bring him anyway?

-Because I’m a lot of fun and because I’m specialized in the Pre-Columbian Civilisations. Said guy answered, extracting himself from his seat. I’m Thais, nice to meet you.

He held his hand out and Scott took it begrudgingly, sniffing the air doing so. Stiles shook his head, Thais snorted because he had seen it too and Scott frowned because he thought that he had been discreet.

-Well, come inside so that we discuss about everything.

They followed suit, Thais elbowing his friend lightly and eliciting a chuckle from him. Scott’s frown deepened but he kept his mouth shut. He didn’t really understand why Thais studying Latin America History explained his presence and it bothered him.

They went straight up to the living room that Stiles remarked had quite changed. The furniture weren’t the same as in his memories. Three brown leather couches laid perpendicular to each other, two bright yellow industrial-style lamps stand next to the couch in the middle and in the centre was a round glass coffee table. On the left, a grey armchair with a fluffy baby blue pillow. The table was decorated with a Chinese vase without flower inside, an orchid and a small cactus. The wooden floor was covered with a cream white carpet. Hanging on the walls were three paintings of strangers, each in shades of blue. There were also a few black and white pictures of the pack here and there. Stiles was surprised to see himself in most of the pictures. The house smelled of polished wood and maple syrup. It was warm inside, a pleasant contrast to the coldness of the outside.

All sitting places were occupied by someone, apart from three supplementary chairs that had been brought from the dining table.

Everyone was silent and looking intently at Stiles with curious eyes, which was understandable given the fact that none of them had seen him since his departure, safe from Scott and Alison. The pack, on the contrary, hadn’t changed much, outside the obvious fact that everyone had aged.

-Well, hello guys. Hum, this is my friend Thais who’s come to help as well.

-Would you like something to drink? Scott offered, trying to dissipate the awkwardness of the situation.

Stiles glanced at his Peruvian friend who shrugged.

-A glass of water would be nice.

-You can make one for me too, please.

Nobody spoke until Scott came back with two glasses filled with water, gesturing to the two newcomers to sit down on the chairs and giving them their glasses once they were installed. Scott sat down beside Stiles and crossed his arms, eyes glued to his pack.

-Maybe you could be polite and greet our guests. He grumbled, rolling his eyes.

At that, Jackson stand up and held his right hand to Stiles.

-It’s good to see you again, Stilinski. Thanks for coming. The man drawled. It seemed that he was more annoyed at his friends than at Stiles and Thais since he offered them a friendly smile. Nice to meet you, Thais. Hope you’ll like Beacon Hills, although it’s not the best time for sightseeing.

-Mieczyslaw should be a decent enough guide. The Peruvian student snickered. 

-You call him Mieczyslaw? Scott blurted out, surprised.

-I do, it’s his name after all. It’s not that hard to pronounce if you give it a little effort. Thais shrugged.

-Stiles never seemed to give much attention to this.

-He still doesn’t, but I do.

-You seem to be a thoughtful guy. Kira piped up, a smile gracing her lips.

-I try.

Stiles felt a pang in his chest as not a single one of his friends had ever said to him that he was a thoughtful guy, and realising it upset him. It was weird, he was glad that his former pack approved of his friend, even though he shouldn’t feel that way, and at the same time was jealous of said friend because he was at the receiving end of praises he had never gotten himself. Thais was worth everything, he knew that, but he hoped sometimes that he was as well. Maybe not everything. Actually, something, _anything_ , would be enough.

He knew those feelings were unreasonable. And he knew he was being unfair by thinking that. He knew very well that he meant the world to his father, and that he was loved by Scott. He also knew that his friends cared deeply about him. But he couldn’t fight it. He was once again caught in a vicious spiral he thought he had finally succeeded in going out of, but a single meeting with people he hadn’t seen for years got him right back into it.

The student yawned.

-Well, maybe you could let us know what info you’ve got about the mysterious, malevolent being that is frightening your city right about now and then we can go to sleep and start our researches tomorrow morning. Stiles suggested, feeling the sleep deprivation starting to crush him.

-Oh, of course… Well, we don’t have much to be honest. Scott frowned upon his own words.

-All we know, really, is that men are disappearing, maybe dying. Their partner is in a state of daze, they don’t behave like they usually do. Apart from the people, nothing is wrong. Animals are quiet, elements stable. Allison stopped herself to think about it. That’s pretty much it. She finally added for the form.

That was, as expected, not much.

Stiles pressed his lips together, somewhat annoyed, and glanced at his friend who wore an identical kind of expression.

-We’ll see what we can do with that. The young man grumbled, standing up. Have a nice evening.

The Peruvian boy imitated him, waving quickly at the pack as both students made their way to the door.

-Hey Stiles, wait a minute.

Said man stilled, turning himself to look at Jackson coming to him, wondering what he could have to tell him.

Jackson took a deep breath, then directed a tiny smile at Stiles.

-I’m really happy to see you again, even though we didn’t have the best relationship back then. If you need it, know that I would be happy to give you my help. I don’t believe it’s fair to force you to come back here to help and then to rely completely on you. His last sentence came in a bitter growl.

A total astonishment.

-Thanks. Stiles grinned slightly once he overcame his surprise. I… I appreciate it. I’ll let you know if we need you. He continued, almost sputtering because of his stupefaction.

He waved at Jackson before joining Thais, who was already waiting at the door. The latter gave him a little pat on the shoulder, accompanied by a toothy smile. Stiles chuckled while shaking his head and they went outside together. They walked slowly to the jeep, hopped on, Thais on the driver side, and headed back to Stiles’ home. Once there, they greeted John quickly and then went straight to bed, exhausted.

Stiles was somewhat lighter than before their arrival because the meeting hadn’t been as awkward as he had thought it would. Sure, more than a half of the pack hadn’t spoken, nor really looked at him, but those who had spoken had been at least courteous, even nice. Maybe they would be able to figure out what was happening quickly enough.

The following day, Thais and Stiles overslept. It wasn’t the best of times to, as his father and Scott had been quite clear that the matter was rather pressing, but both needed it. After waking up they ate scrambled eggs with apples as both breakfast and lunch, then went outside to conduct their searches while enjoying some fresh air.

They had been reading and taking notes for about three hours when Stiles received a text from Scott, who was asking if he wanted to come over and bake at his house.

-Hey, Thais. He called.

The latter rose his head, some hair falling off in front of his reading glasses. He seemed to have just been drawn out of deep thoughts, which was quite cute.

-What is it? He tilted his head.

-Would you like to bake with Scott? And I presume that Allison will be there too.

-Would _you_ like to? The Peruvian inquired, staring at him.

The Californian squirmed and kept silence for an instant.

-Could be fun. He shrugged.

He didn’t want to admit that he wanted to go bake at Scott’s. He wanted Thais to make it easier for him by taking the decision.

-Let’s go then. A pause won’t hurt us. Thais smiled, eyes crinkling a tiny bit.

Stiles nodded, trying to hide his satisfaction. 

They took their time tidying up the books and their computers that they put back in Stiles’ room.

Once done, they went downstairs to get ready. Stiles shoved Thais lightly while he was putting on his shoes, faking boredom and repeating that he was taking too much time. The Peruvian made an effort in taking even more time and took his revenge afterwards, purposefully knocking into Stiles while the later was going outside.

They went to Scott’s by foot, bickering continuously on the way.

Scott was waiting for them on the porch of his home when they arrived. He appeared to be confused and not that thrilled by Thais’ presence but greeted him politely nonetheless. He should have known anyway that Stiles wasn’t going to leave his friend behind.

-How’s it been going since yesterday? Slept well? Scott asked as he guided them to the kitchen.

Stiles then realized that he had never been inside of Scott’s house before, which was rather logical as it had been only a few months since he and Alison had moved in together. Still, Stiles’ heart clenched at the thought because moving in was a big deal and he couldn’t help but to believe that he should have been there for Scott then, in order to help him set up the place, build the furniture and do whatever. It was a big step in Scott’s life and he hadn’t been there. Completely irrationally, he felt like he had someway failed Scott.

-You’ve got a nice home. Thais commented, examining the place.

Truthfully, the decoration was kitsch and goofy, just like the couple that lived there. Everything was either pink and fluffy or white and glossy. There were heart-shaped frames everywhere with pictures of both Alison and Scott. A smell of cotton candy lingered in the air, probably coming from one of those scented candles. Cheap, decorative objects of all kinds scattered the place in a bizarre fashion. It was so very much Scott and Allison to pick up objects they thought were cute and funny and to place them anywhere without really caring if it made sense or not. Whereas Stiles found it rather amusing, Thais didn’t like it at all. Maybe he did think it was sort of _nice_ , but he was probably judging the place with scepticism. Stiles liked that aspect of Thais the least; he tended to believe that his tastes were the right ones. In fact, the idiom _different strokes for different folks_ meant little to nothing to him. And that could be quite frustrating at times.

-I know. Scott responded, rather drily.

He could probably sense that Thais wasn’t being completely sincere there. And Thais knew that he could tell.

Thais’ only response was to grin.

When they arrived in the kitchen, not only did they find Allison there, but Kira and Malia as well. They were chatting around a central island, a cookbook opened and forgotten in the centre of said island.

-Hi Stiles, Thais. How are you? Allison greeted, a small smile gracing her lips.

She seemed a bit reserved, not really knowing what to do, if it was ok to hug them or not. She made her way to the three men and opted to shake the hands of the two newcomers.

-Good, and you?

-I’m great. I’m really happy that you could come! She beamed, clasping her hands.

Her hair, cut in a straight line above the shoulders, moved with the movement of her arms.

Kira and Malia stayed behind, eyeing the interaction. Malia had her arms crossed over her chest in a rather defensive way. The kitsune, on the other hand, was standing with her arms along of her body, head inclined on the side, throat clear.

-It was nice of you to invite us. The Peruvian made a gesture toward the cookbook. What are we making?

-We haven’t chosen yet! Kira piped up from behind the counter, blinking.

-We thought about light cake, so you could give a few ones to your father. Allison added, taking the cookbook in order to find the recipe of said cake.

Malia said nothing, gaze deviant. It was so, so weird for Stiles to have in front of himself a Malia who seemed uncomfortable.

-Good idea. He simply said, nodding.

It was an awkward situation, because no one was comfortable enough to begin a conversation. The six of them exchanged a few words to decide which flavour the cake would taste like. They settled on white chocolate, raspberries and pistachio and started to weigh the ingredients in silence.

-How do you know about the supernatural? Malia asked Thais, finally breaking the heavy silence once she was done with the flour and had passed it over to Stiles without saying anything.

-I’m part of the supernatural world. The Peruvian answered, purposefully ignoring the underlying question, staring intently at the numbers the balance in front of him indicated.

-What creature are you? Scott rolled his eyes, annoyed.

The Sheriff’s son found it hilarious for his part. He took Thais’ bowl, which was a quarter full with brown sugar.

-I’m a descendant of Inti.

-And who’s Inti?

-The Inca sun god.

-Does that mean that you’re a god? Or like, half a god? Kira frowned.

-Not at all.

-And what about the other sun gods? Those of Greece, Antique Rome, Baltic Countries, Egypt? Allison wondered, stopping her activity.

-Sun gods aren’t what you think. They do not control the sun, but they do have powers linked to the sun. It goes the same for all other gods. Poseidon did not control the oceans for real, it would be impossible, but he could control water and he could communicate with aquatic beings. Thais fell silent for a short moment. Maybe it’s better to take Zeus as an example. Zeus, as the sky god, could not control the weather on the entire planet, but he could create lightning and he could create rain. Gods don’t have control, they have powerful aptitudes linked to an element, or an idea, or whatever really.

-And do they still exist?

-Gods live longer, but they are no more eternal than you and me. Those who I was telling you about are since long dead. Others are still alive, some will be born.

-And what are your… powers?

Thais chuckled, not unkindly.

-I don’t have powers. I’m a descendant of Inti. There have been many generations before me and little by little, our power diminished. What I can do is sense energy and work with it. And I know secrets, too.

-What kind of secrets?

Thais only smiled. In the meantime, Scott started fidgeting. He had a tensed expression on his face ever since Thais had begun talking. Lips pinched and brows furrowed, he seemed uneasy. Allison was eyeing him with worry while the two other girls were ignoring him placidly.

-I’m gonna be honest with you. Scott finally declared, taking a deep breath.

Stiles, who was standing near the sink, back to them, spun around at that. He had batter all over his hands, which was ridiculous, but didn’t bother washing it off as there was a bigger issue at the moment.

It wasn’t like Scott to speak that way to someone, much less to someone who was a stranger to him.

-I don’t trust you, like, at all. Something seems off about you. He breathed out. You’re too comfortable around us, shifters, and you radiate power.

Stiles snorted at the unintended pun. His best friend gave him a pointed look, before going on.

-What I mean is that as soon as the matter has been taken care of, I want you out of my territory, and never back again. Ever. The werewolf declared coldly, arms crossed over his chest, standing tall in an attempt to be menacing.

Furious.

Stiles was positively furious. 

-I just can’t even believe how _stupid_ you can be. The student dragged his hand down his face. This is ridiculous.

-Well, thank you very much _Stiles_.

-Shut the fuck up Scott. Just… just don’t speak again. First of all, you never, ever tell someone you don’t trust that you know they’re powerful. That’s just the dumbest, stupidest, most _idiotic_ shit ever. Secondly, you don’t get to tell Thais that. One, he can go wherever the fuck he wants to go to. Two, he’s come here to help so you should be thankful, whether you trust him or not. Three, he’s my friend, so I won’t let you treat him like this. If he leaves, I go with him, because I won’t put up with your bullshit Scott. Beacon Hills can go to hell, if my friend here is forced to leave by either one of you, I leave with him and I take my father with me and you never see me again. Have I made myself clear? He asked, fuming.

Thais put a hand on Stiles’ shoulder in order to calm him, which seemed to unnerve the werewolf in the room even more.

-I’m going to put the cake in the oven. Alison announced softly, in an attempt to cool the tension down.

Stiles sneered.

-Don’t bother, we’re leaving right about now.

The young man grabbed his friend by the arm and dragged him outside the house without saying goodbye. He was almost ready to leave Beacon Hills on the spot. They had made all the way to Beacon Hills for Scott to treat Thais like that? He could understand that Scott didn’t trust Thais, he was fine with him being honest about it. What he couldn’t accept however, was the threat. He didn’t get to threaten Stiles’ friends. He could do it with whoever he wanted, but not with Stiles’ friends because of some misplaced jealousy or whatever. Stiles did not stand it and would never stand it.

A wave of artificial calm washed over him and he relaxed instantly.

-I didn’t want to do it when we were still inside.

-You could have. A beat. I’m sorry you had to deal with it.

-Well, it was to be expected. My kind doesn’t really get along with werewolves.

Stiles snorted. Thais smiled, his brown eyes crinkling on the sides. He ran his fingers through his brown locks, which were falling in front of his eyes, dishevelled.

He was really cute.

Stiles smiled softly seeing his facial expression.

-It’s a pity we couldn’t taste a bit of this cake, though. Thais joked, elbowing Stiles.

And with that, all kinds of seriousness evanesced.

-You can always bake one at my house.

It was Thais’ turn to snort.

-I could but I won’t.

-Your loss.

-Indeed.

They were about fifty meters away from his home when Stiles spotted a runner approaching. He ran fast, faster than a normal person. The student assumed it was a member of the pack and hoped they would get to his house before they crossed the path of the runner. He didn’t want another confrontation, he was done dealing with werewolves for the day.

He quickened his pace without really realizing it and Thais imitated him. But the figure was drawing nearer, pace seemingly quickened as well, and Stiles soon understood that they would cross path anyway. He let out a long-suffering sigh, bowing his head. He knew exactly who it was. It couldn’t be one of the twins because they would have been together as they always trained together. It was for sure not Scott. He was too muscular to be either one of the others apart from Derek.

And Derek was probably the person he least wanted to see at the moment.

Actually, Derek truly was the person he least wanted to see at the moment.

Once Stiles knew for sure that it was Derek approaching, he dropped his gaze to the ground. Thais said nothing, he just walked closer to Stiles because he always knew when his friend was to be left alone. It was not at all linked to their friendship, it was linked to Thais’ ability to feel energy as it allowed him to differentiate emotions. 

Even if the werewolf could sense Stiles’ animosity, he made nothing out of it and simply continued on his way. He knew of the student’s presence but didn’t acknowledge it and Stiles felt better.

He wasn’t spiteful. He didn’t care anymore about what had happened years ago because they were young and he had probably made as many mistakes as them. What he did care about however, were the results of those years spent apart, the possible awkwardness. He also feared their grudge. Had they forgiven him? Did they end up understanding him? He didn’t know and wasn’t fond of the unknown anymore.

If Stiles didn’t want to see Derek, it was because Derek had always been difficult. Difficult to read. Difficult to understand. He always acted differently than what Stiles expected.

He was unpredictable.

-Who was this guy?

-Derek.

The Peruvian hummed, nodding.

-He seemed surprised to see you here.

-I don’t know, I didn’t look at him.

-I know. A pause. Your friends are quite something. He commented, looking behind himself at Derek’s retreating figure.

Stiles nodded absent-mindedly, opening the door of his house. It took Thais three shoves into Stiles’ shoulder to make him smile again. When he did, it was only a hint of a smile, but it was enough.

They really met again on a Thursday night. It was impromptu and fortuitous, surprising by the ordinariness of the situation. Stiles was walking on the sidewalk, his mind lost miles away in reveries of all kinds. He had spent hours in the library, looking for books about legends and myths. He had left Thais alone at his house, reading through his own books, because they felt like it would be better to search separately. They worked better that way.

To go back home, he had decided to take the long way as it had been long since he had had a decent walk. His walks mostly constituted of the journey between each of his classes and then back to his apartment. Without realizing it, he had missed it. He had missed the breezes that sometimes caressed, sometimes bit. He had missed the sound of the shuddering leaves on the trees and the cracking of those who had fallen on the ground. He had missed the smells of earth and grass. He had missed the proximity with vast areas of nature. Surrounded each and every day by huge buildings and people in a hurry, he had missed the peacefulness that came with the wild world.

It had happened to him a lot since his return to be flooded by a drowning feeling of nostalgia. The despair to go back to a time long gone invaded his whole being. Like a poison, incurable and devastating, it devoured him from the inside. He had left because he was lonely and tired, he had come back to find himself nostalgic and cheerless. He wondered if he would find his place one day, somewhere.

Anywhere.

Derek barged at that moment out of the woods, panting and covered in dirt.

Stiles startled and Derek turned to him, seemingly confused. And confused was Stiles too. It had been five years since they had last seen each other, it had been brief. Painful on Stiles side. He didn’t know if it had been for Derek too. For a long time, he hadn’t known if it had been painful for anyone of them besides for himself and Scott. He wasn’t able to sniff the air to catch the emotions of the others.

They stared at each other without really thinking about it. Derek’s face was lit with the warm light of the streetlamp that stood about five feet from them. His face seemed warm and opened, more than it had years before. He was looking directly into Stiles eyes, never averting his own. He was the same, but somewhat different. His physical traits hadn’t changed much, his clothes had however. He was wearing a brown woollen pullover with round neck, black slacks and black leather shoes. Even though he was covered in dust and earth, he seemed proper, well in his shoes. Maybe it was the body language. He stood right, seemed confident. Not overly confident, the good kind of confident, the kind of confident that says that he has forgiven himself and that he knows what’s his place.

He seemed to feel exactly the way Stiles didn’t feel.

-Stiles. He breathed, surprised.

-That’s me. A beat. Why weren’t you at your house on Monday evening? He was really curious about that one.

The werewolf blinked, as if he had to think hard about what he had done four days before.

-I was out. Went to patrol the perimeter. He added, shrugging.

-Oh, if that’s it. You do it alone now?

-Well, yeah.

The student nodded. He was almost certain that Derek was lying. He probably hadn’t wanted to see Stiles. Too bad their road had crossed.

-Well then, see you around, maybe.

Stiles made a move to start walking again, but Derek stopped him with a hand on his arm as he was passing next to him.

-It’s… it’s good to see you again, Stiles. He smiled hesitantly, his fingers feather-like against his biceps.

The younger one smiled tightly in response.

-You didn’t stop to say hi when you passed by my house a few days ago.

It wasn’t an accusatory comment, it was just a plain fact.

-You were with your friend, I didn’t want to intrude.

The student nodded, gave Derek a small wave and started pursuing his way for good this time. He felt a heavy weight settle down in his chest and sighed out of lassitude. Seeing Derek felt wrong in a way he couldn’t understand and he was fed up with it. He was fed up with feeling miserable every time he saw members of the pack and not knowing what to do against it.

He made his way quicker, shoulders slumped. The coldness of the night didn’t feel as comforting as it had before as he was suddenly overwhelmed by tiredness and the need of warmness. 

When he finally got to his dad’s house, he was welcomed by the scent of diner. He heard his father and Thais chatting in the kitchen, where he found them both leaning against the counter. They grinned at him, not stopping in their discussion about Peruvian dishes. He was really surprised when he realized that his father knew quite a lot about it. He seemed overly enthusiast when they switched their talk to spices.

Stiles shrugged and rolled his eyes, went to the dining room and starting cleaning the table. He put Thais books and notes and the top of the console against the wall and pushed his father’s files on the edge of the table. He then set the table, lost in his mind again, the chatting as background noise.

He was brought out of his reverie by the ringing of the alarm clock and by the gleeful exclamation of his dad.

-I’m excited to taste your cooking son. Hope it tastes as good as it smells! He chirped, following close behind Thais as he made his way to the dining table, hot plate in hands. 

-You shouldn’t expect too much. Snorted Stiles for good measure.

Thais didn’t even try to respond.

Two days later, Stiles was woken up abruptly in the middle of the night by a call. He ran downstairs before taking it, not wishing to wake either Thais or his dad up. He sat crossed-legged on the couch and pressed the answer button without paying much attention to the caller ID. He knew at least that he had saved the person’s number in his contacts.

-Hello? He said hesitantly.

-Stiles, I…

He immediately recognized Isaac’s voice at the other end of the line. His voice seemed strangled.

-What is it, Isaac? He whispered, taken aback.

Silence.

-I just… I just wanted to tell you that I want to help you find this thing and that I thought about what Jackson said the other night over and over again and he was right when he said that it was unfair to use you like this and I heard about what happened when you were at Scott’s and I agree that he should have never said what he said to your friend and your friend seems nice. He took a deep breath, twice. I want to help you Stiles, I really do, even though it has been years since we have last spoken. I still don’t know why you left, but you had to have a good reason to do so. I know we made you feel terrible, otherwise you would have come back sooner. And I must tell you that we are thankful for what you did in the past, and what you’re doing for us at the moment. I am, at least. About your friend, Thais isn’t it? I really do think he seems nice. I don’t know if he really is your friend or something else, but I’m happy you have him, because he makes you happy. And happiness is all I’ll ever wish for you. Tell me if there’s something I can do to help you.

Isaac hang up.

A wave of emotions hit Stiles.

He would never have expected Isaac to call him in the middle of the night for another reason than to ask him to help save someone’s life, whether be it his own or someone else’s. It was a kind gesture, what Isaac had done. Nobody had ever done such gesture for him, for Stiles.

He took a shaking breath, running a hand through his hair, then along his right arm. He leaned his head on the couch and looked at the ceiling. For a while, he couldn’t think of anything, he mind so full of thoughts it was blank. He watched the moonlight fade into undefined shadows, listened to the sound of silence, of his heartbeats, of his breath. His heart ached, full of the best and the worst of emotions. It ached so, so, so much. In a bad way? In a good way? He didn’t know.

Couldn’t know.

He stand up, abruptly, made his way to the window and looked at the stars, like he had done weeks before. They were solid, immutable, watching with indifference his world in tenuous balance, similar to the Tower of Pisa but so much closer to crumbling down to dust.

Again.

The student went back to the couch with a sigh and took his phone. He looked at the black screen while pondering before unlocking it, then he opened his messenger app.

He typed “:)” and sent it to Isaac.

Afterwards, the young man went back to bed.

Stiles was sitting at a table near a window in the library, flipping pages and pages. He had made a big discovery the day before. Hidden behind a row of books about mythology and supernatural, he had found an enormous encyclopaedia. Hundreds of pages about civilisations of the entire world and their myths and legends, the content rich and complete.

It was a little bit the grail of Stiles’ life.

Stiles’ life _before_.

-Hi.

He jumped at the sound of the voice belonging to the person standing right behind him and quickly turned around to see who it was.

He smiled.

-Hello, Jackson.

Said man’s lip corners lifted up for a brief moment. Then he put on a grave expression again and sat down on the seat beside the student’s.

-I went to your house but only found your friend Thais there. A pause. And I _needed_ to speak to _you_. He specified, having probably heard about Scott depreciation for Thais.

Stiles closed the book and pushed it aside, using his hand to support his chin. He nodded at Jackson to let him know that he was ready to listen to whatever he had to say.

-Another body has been found. Outside of a few police officers, no one knows yet, not even your father nor Parrish. I don’t know why. Before you ask, I’m absolutely certain of what I know because I saw the body. It was of a middle aged man, brown hair, pale skin. He was fat and smelled of grease, I figured he was a cook at some diner or something. He’s the seventh man who’s been murdered, I counted. I presume no one told you that?

The student shook his head, frowning.

-Figured. They’re all caught up in their panic and believe you’re some messiah that came to save us all or whatever. The young man rolled his eyes. Anyway, I realized that every time a man was killed, the companion of said man was suddenly pregnant. We should be able to establish a pattern if we find out that this man’s wife is pregnant as well. Hope it will help you with all of that. Jackson made a vague gesture in the direction of the encyclopaedia.

-That’s really useful. Stiles declared, eyes wide of surprise. Thank you very much, Jackson.

The young man winked at Stiles, a small smile playing on his lips.

-I told you I wanted to help. A pause. Have you spoken with any member of the pack, outside of Scott? He wondered, leaning on the back of his seat.

Stiles kept silence for a moment, glancing outside the window. Afterwards, he turned his gaze back to Jackson.

-I did. Isaac called me in the middle of the night, I crossed path with Derek once and we briefly chatted. That’s pretty much it.

Jackson hummed.

-Is this book useful?

-It could be now, thanks to what you told me.

Silence.

-Oh, here I wrote everything on a paper, so that you could have it with you at any time. There’s the name of the victims, their companion, address, age, description. I also wrote the place where the corpse was found when I knew it.

-Wow, great. How come..?

-I guessed you wouldn’t ask me to help you so I tried to find the best way to contribute into the researches. The werewolf shrugged.

Stiles nodded, humming.

-I think I should go back home then, in order to give the information you got to Thais, he could give it to his relatives.

-I’ll accompany you, I’ve nothing to do.

Stiles smile, got up, closed the book carefully and put it back on the shelve where he had found it. He hid it like it had been hidden and followed Jackson out.

Walking peacefully, they stayed in a comfortable silence until Jackson broke it.

-I never thought you’d come back. He said suddenly, gaze straight ahead.

-I never thought I’d come back either.

Jackson chuckled, humourless.

-It’s great there, isn’t it? For you at least.

-It is.

-And your friends, how are they?

-They’re… they’re incredible. A beat. You know, I’m quite popular at school. He added to lighten the mood.

The werewolf laughed whole-heartedly.

-I doubt that. He said with a smirk, just for the sake of old times.

-No really. They have this false and ideal of me. They think I’m your typical Californian guy. I never told them that I don’t even know how to surf.

It was nice. Stiles liked their discussion.

Jackson snorted.

-And you have access to everything there, haven’t you? You can go to plays, operas, museums. It must be the best place ever for you.

Stiles frowned. He didn’t like their discussion anymore.

-You’re trying to force me to admit that I like it better there, aren’t you? He asked, stopping dead on his track.

The Kanima sighed.

-I am.

-Why?

-Because I want the others to understand that they can’t take you for granted and that at some point you’re going to go back to Boston and that if they want you to help us sort things out before you go they should try to cooperate more. And I need you to admit that so when I tell them, they’ll know that’s the truth and maybe they will get their heads out of their asses.

-I never knew you were a righter of wrongs. He didn’t mean that ironically, he was just surprised.

Jackson snorted.

-I’m not pretending to be one. I just think they should grow up once and for all. I was against calling you. Not because I didn’t think you wouldn’t come help us or that you wouldn’t be of any help, but because it’s not fair to you to force you to drop everything for us. They never try to understand that there is a world outside Beacon Hills. I have because I’ve gone to London, Derek must have at some point too, when he was away. The others, they never really go out of town. I’m not saying it’s necessarily a bad thing, but they should try to understand that the time doesn’t stop outside of Beacon Hills.

-Scott visited me a few times in Boston.

-Yeah, but for him those times were vacation and he didn’t realise that for you it was too. He thought your five years away were some sorts of vacation. He never really took into account the fact that you could not come back. He was always pretty sure that you would.

Stiles wasn’t aware of that. He never thought about the fact that maybe Scott hadn’t understood Stiles’ departure as what it was. That maybe if Scott had accepted so easily Stiles’ departure was because he hadn’t understood the meaning behind it, hadn’t understood that it wasn’t mean to be temporary. And it made a whole lot of a difference.

-Oh.

-You didn’t know that?

-To be honest, no.

The werewolf hummed and patted the student’s shoulder lightly.

-It’s gonna be all right. And if it isn’t, I’ll defend you.

At the absurdity of the idea, Stiles burst out laughing.


	3. Build Up A Fire

-We should organise a pack meeting. Very soon. So that you can share with everyone what information you’ve gathered.

Stiles glanced at Thais, who was lying on his bed, legs crossed, reading a book with his glasses on.

-I’m not sure it’s a good idea. Scott hasn’t seen Thais since the last time at his house.

Of the corner of his eyes, Stiles saw Thais perk up at the mention of his name, but he didn’t say anything, just looked at Stiles.

-Who cares about Scott? He can behave himself for once. Jackson grumbled. The matter is urgent, we don’t have time for childishness.

A beat.

-I guess we could do that. I hope the others will agree. I doubt Derek will.

-What? Of course Derek will. And for the others, again, we don’t have time for childishness. If they don’t come, I’ll go get them by force.

Stiles chuckled lightly.

-In that case. A beat. Today evening’s good for you?

The werewolf didn’t answer right away.

-You know what? I’m going to ask for an urgent pack meeting without mentioning you.

-You shouldn’t. Let them know that we’ll be here too and if they don’t want to come, let them. Just… just be sure that it doesn’t bother Derek, it would be really inconvenient otherwise.

Jackson let out a sound of reluctant agreement before ending the line with a “see you later”.

Stiles put his smartphone on his desk and stared at the wall absent-mindedly.

-Jackson’s a good guy, huh?

The Peruvian’s voice startled the daydreaming student.

-I guess, yeah. We weren’t that close back in High School, he’s changed a lot.

Thais smiled, his glasses falling a bit on his nose.

-I like him better than Scott.

Stiles snorted, as if that wasn’t obvious.

-What a surprise.

-It doesn’t bother me that much you know. No one can get along with everyone.

-Well, that’s the problem because Scott usually kind of does.

-Does he really?

Stiles took some time to think about it. He thought about the first time they met Derek, he thought about High School Jackson, and he wasn’t so sure anymore. Scott hadn’t gotten along with them at the beginning, but he came around at some point… Was it going to be the same for Thais? He hoped so. He hoped at least that Scott would make an effort. Maybe his behaviour was linked to what Jackson had told him a few days before. Maybe the presence of Thais made him realise that Stiles was going to go back to Boston, because Thais was part of Stiles’ present, whereas Scott, the pack, everything in Beacon Hills and the town itself were part of Stiles’ past. Maybe it wasn’t Thais himself that was a problem for Scott but the idea he brought with him. 

-He didn’t get along with Derek before. Neither with Jackson. I guess you’re half right.

Thais laughed, standing up. He went to Stiles’ side and put his hand on his shoulder, patting it lightly. Without a word he got out of the room and Stiles heard him walking down the stairs.

-I’m going for a walk! He heard just before the front door closed.

After a while thinking, the student undertook a neat list of the creatures that could be responsible of the murders. They hadn’t found much, mainly creatures that came from the Germanic mythology and nothing corresponded completely with what was happening around town.

His phone beeped at his side. It was a message from Jackson that said that everything was set for the evening.

Only a few more hours to wait.

Thais and Stiles stood side by side for the second time in front of Derek’s house. They could hear shuffling behind the door and were patiently waiting for someone to deign open them the door. Well, Thais was waiting patiently. Stiles was fuming and seriously considering turning round.

He wasn’t going to take any bullshit.

Then the door opened on a scowling Jackson. He smiled tightly at the two newcomers and rolled his eyes, pointing behind himself. Even though he couldn’t see what was bothering Jackson, Stiles guessed it had to do with Scott.

-Good evening. He greeted, making his way inside.

He was immediately hit by a smell of lasagne.

Thais stayed behind him and gave a nod to the werewolf that had opened them the door.

-Jackson, isn’t it?

Said man smiled a little brighter and gave a friendly tap on Thais’ shoulder.

-You can go directly to the dining room Stiles.

Stiles obeyed. His stomach growled at the idea of food. They hadn’t eaten before leaving Stiles’ house because the latter was almost certain that there would be something to eat at Derek’s. And he wasn’t mistaken.

-Hello Stiles! How are since last time?

The student was startled by Allison who had come up right next to him without him noticing her. Behind him he heard Jackson and Thais mocking him together.

-I’m okay. And you?

She nodded, grinning.

-Can I offer you something to drink?

Stiles felt a bit awkward.

-A glass of water would be nice.

She then turned to Thais, asking if he wanted something to drink as well. The Peruvian refused politely and undertook a lively chat with Jackson. In the meantime, Stiles observed the room in front of him and tried to figure out why it was so quiet around the house. Was everyone already there but nobody wanted to show up?

-Scott’s sorry.

Once again, he was surprise by the huntress.

-He is?

-Well, he didn’t say it, but he was really upset once you were gone.

-It’s his fault.

-He knows that.

-But he won’t apologise.

-That’s very unlikely.

Stiles shrugged. It wasn’t that important, as long as Scott behaved himself with Thais.

-Where are the others? He inquired.

-Still not here, apart from Derek who’s in the kitchen.

So it wasn’t at Scott that Jackson was annoyed earlier.

As if on cue, Derek came out of the kitchen, which was separated from the dining room. He had probably been listening to what had been said and waiting on the right moment to show up.

-Hello. He smiled tentatively, drying his hands on a towel that was half tucked in his jeans.

He held up his hand to Stiles, who took it before shaking it.

-Hello. It’s nice of you to have us here.

Stiles wondered if he was being too formal. Judging by the look on the werewolf face, he was. But he didn’t know how else to act.

-It’s normal. His tone sounded a bit dejected, although there was no reason for it to. You must be Thais.

It directed Stiles’ attention on his friend, who had stopped to chat with Jackson.

-I am. Derek right?

-Nice to meet you. He shook the Peruvian’s hand a bit stiffly. I wanted to apologise on the behalf of my beta. I heard he’s been quite offensive towards you since your arrival on my territory. Know that I do not stand up for that kind of behaviour and that he was reprimanded.

Stiles was utterly flabbergasted. He hadn’t been expecting that.

It was nice of Derek to do that though.

-No offense was taken as my kind doesn’t always get along with yours. I thank you for your apologies nonetheless, Alpha Hale.

-I was indeed made aware of the fact that you are a descendant of Inti. I welcome you gratefully on my territory as I was told you were here to help us.

-Indeed. I came at Mieczyslaw request.

Derek glanced at him.

-Very well. Jackson said you had a few leads, I’d be happy to hear about them later on. In the meantime, I invite you to take a seat at the table until the rest of the pack arrives.

The two newcomers sat down next to each other at the dining table. They were soon joined by Jackson and Allison, and then by Derek, who sat down at the end of the table.

-How is Boston? He inquired, looking at Thais.

The latter shrugged.

-I’ve lived here all my life, you should rather ask that to Stiles.

Four pairs of eyes were suddenly directed at him.

-I like Boston. He simply declared.

Thais snorted, shaking his head.

-Not that talkative anymore huh? Jackson stated, leaning on the back of his chair.

Thais put his hand over his shoulder, patting it gently. Stiles smiled at him.

-No.

Silence fell upon the five of them, until the two werewolves perked up at a sound they were the only ones to hear.

-The others are here. The younger werewolf announced as the older one stood up to bring the lasagnes on the table.

Allison set the table, shushing the two students when they made a move to help her.

Stiles barely got the time to hear the door opening and closing again before a mass landed on him, hugging him tightly. He felt a face in the crook of his neck and curls tickling his skin.

-I’m so happy that you’re here. I missed you so much.

The student relaxed in the arms of Isaac and hugged him back as tightly, a lump in the throat.

-I missed you too.

It was true.

The _you_ referred to the whole pack, but they didn’t need to know that. He had left after all.

They hugged each other for a while, until Isaac disentangled himself to sit on the free chair next to Stiles. He nodded politely at Thais, who gave back the gesture.

Kira grinned at him from the other side of the table, Malia as well, kind of, the corner of her lips lifted up for an instant. Scott avoided looking at either of them and took the furthest seat available. Boyd stared intently at the students, then averted his gaze, not looking at them again for the rest of the meal.

The discussion was mainly animated by Allison, Isaac, Jackson and Kira inquiring about the life of the two students in the metropole. Derek didn’t say much, but he seemed to listen closely. None of the others spoke a word.

Once everyone was finished, Derek ordered each member of his pack to bring their tableware to the kitchen. In the meantime, he led Stiles and Thais to the living room, where he told them to sit down on the main couch. He offered them a cup of coffee, Thais accepting it gratefully, Stiles refusing it admitting that he preferred tea.

Something flashed into Derek eyes without Stiles knowing what it was.

Not a minute later, Isaac was offering him a cup of tea. The student smiled gratefully at him as he sat down beside him, snuggling against his side.

-Maybe you should give Stiles a bit of space. Derek growled, sitting opposite them.

-It’s okay, you can stay here. Stiles whispered at Isaac who was looking up guiltily at him.

Derek crossed his arms without saying anything. Soon everyone had moved to the living room and was seemingly waiting for Derek to start the meeting.

-What do you have to tell us? He finally said, staring at both students.

They glanced at each other before Thais put his hand on Stiles shoulder, encouraging him to start speaking. Stiles saw Scott baring his teeth at the gesture but didn’t comment on it.

-Thanks to what Jackson told us, we were able to find a few leads, they are however only hypothesises. We’re currently waiting on what Thais’ relatives could tell us. It could basically be spirits, but it doesn’t completely coincide with the situation as most of the times, spirits only stay in a single place. The corpses, however, where found at various places. The same goes for the elves…

-Aren’t elves usually nice? Kira wondered openly, tilting her head.

-Not in the Germanic mythology. They can be either good or bad, and outside of their immense beauty they don’t look the least like the elves in The Lord of the Ring, they’re usually smaller than us. The creature could be a demon, but it’s most unlikely. It could be an oni, those are demons from the Japanese mythology, but again it’s very unlikely because they’re usually huge and probably no corpse would have been found, at least not in the state they were found. Else it could be an incarnation of Râvana, or one of his descendants, but we doubt that. The main issue is that we can’t explain the sudden pregnancies. The murders yes, but the pregnancies are weird. And it’s not a coincidence, it’s a pattern. Two old women getting pregnant at nearly the same time, it can’t be a coincidence. It could have been if it had only been the other women who are younger, but it hasn’t.

-In other words, you’ve got nothing. Erica bluntly said, looking at her nails.

-In other words, we would maybe have had something if you had deigned helping us. Thais snapped, doing so in a strangely calm way, mocking her by looking at his nails as well.

A heavy silence fell upon everyone for the second time.

-We must admit he’s right. Kira intervened. I personally haven’t done anything to help them, when I could have in all honesty. I know Jackson has, and Isaac too, in a way, but have you? She inquired, her gaze mainly directed at Erica.

The latter chose to keep silent.

Thais put his hand on Stiles’ shoulder again, absent-mindedly.

-Why do you have to always touch Stiles? Scott had expressed himself in a rather aggressive way.

-He’s feeding on my energy. Stiles blurted out without thinking.

The rest happened quickly. Scott launched himself at Thais, snarling, while Isaac yanked Stiles against his chest, the other werewolves standing up at the same time.

-What the fuck! Stop it right now Scott! Let me go Isaac, for fuck’s sake!

Isaac let him go immediately, but Scott didn’t listen to him. Stiles got up as fast as possible and grabbed his supposedly best friend by the back of his neck. He also kicked him in the shin so that he would release his grasp on Thais. Taken by surprise, Scott let go of the Peruvian and stumble backwards. It gave Stiles time to interpose himself between the two.

-What the fuck Scott! It was a fucking joke, oh my god. Have you lost your mind? You could have injured him severely! What gave you the right to do that?

-You said he was feeding on you!

-And what? It was a fucking joke! And even though it had been the truth, if I had admitted it openly it would have meant that I consented! You just needed a pretext to attack him didn’t you?

-Maybe he bewitched you!

-He didn’t. You’re just trying to find excuses. You would have felt it if he really had.

-Then why is he touching you all the time? Scott screamed, red with rage, eyes flashing, fangs out.

-Because he helps me with my ADHD! He helps me concentrate and stop my fidgeting.

-How does he do that?

-He works with my fucking energy.

-So he could feed on you without you knowing it.

-Listen up carefully Scott. I accepted your behaviour once, twice, there won’t be a third fucking time. You do that again? I go straight back to Boston with my friend, and you never see me again. Ever. I won’t tolerate you attacking my friend for nothing. And for all of you, I’ll accept you not helping us, it doesn’t make any difference with the past. However, I will not accept you disregarding our work and reproaching us the fact that our researches aren’t going as fast as you would like them to go. Neither of us owe you anything so watch your fucking mouths. Are you okay Thais?

The latter shrugged, as if it was nothing when blood was dripping from the claw-marks on his neck.

-I’m going to get something to clean that up. Allison announced, hurrying to the bathroom.

-Stiles I… Scott started.

-Shut the fuck up and get out of here now! The student spat out without looking at him.

Thais touched his arm, calming him artificially.

-Keep your fucking energy. I don’t want to feel calm.

Thais laughed whole-heartedly at that, eyes crinkling.

-You know you’re at fault too, right? You shouldn’t have made that joke.

-I can joke about whatever I want for fuck’s sake.

Someone snorted, certainly Jackson.

Stiles briefly turned around and saw that everyone was still there, apart from Scott and Allison.

-Why are you still here? We’ve got nothing else to tell you.

-Is your friend going to be okay? Malia inquired, behind him.

-Of course _Thais_ going to be okay.

He was still standing in front of his friend who was chuckling silently.

-I don’t get what’s so entertaining. There’s nothing funny here.

-Everything can be funny if you give it the chance to be.

Stiles rolled his eyes.

-How do you work with Stiles’ energy?

Thais glanced at Isaac.

-I don’t really know, it’s an aptitude my kind has. The sun is basically an enormous ball of energy that must be why. I can’t do much wrong with this ability. I can’t give nor take energy, I can only rearrange the energy someone has, so it limits greatly the possibilities.

Isaac hummed, nodding.

-Maybe you should go outside for a while Stiles. Take a bit of fresh air. Allison suggested, coming back from the bathroom.

She tossed wet wipes at Thais who caught them mid-air. She went to find the antiseptic but Thais stopped her, telling her that he too had the quick healing.

Stiles decided that some fresh air would indeed make him some good. He opened the terrace door and sat on the wooden stairs. He was soon joined by Derek who imitated him, sitting a step above him. They didn’t speak for a while, Derek letting Stiles cool down. Or having nothing to say.

It must have been the latter because soon enough, Derek got up and made his way back inside. He left the door open because Stiles didn’t hear it closing. He stayed on the stairs for about ten minutes before going back inside as well. He closed the door behind himself and stayed in front of the window for a moment, watching the forest and the already black sky. It would soon be the full moon, he realised.

-Are you ready to go back home? He asked Thais without diverting his gaze from the forest.

-Are you?

-Couldn’t be more ready. He snorted.

He turned around, waiting for Thais to get up. He nodded at those who were still in the living room, then they left. They crossed path with Boyd who was doing whatever. He avoided their gaze, staring right in front of him. Once again, Stiles snorted but didn’t made a comment.

It wasn’t worth it.

Once they were inside the car and driving, Thais started speaking.

-Have you noticed that they all stepped up to protect you when you said I was feeding on you?

-It was instinctual. A pack member attack, the others help them.

-Not in that case. Isaac immediately yanked you out of danger. It wasn’t to help Scott, it was to protect you. I know you believe they’re angry with you, but I don’t, not at all. I think they’re rather ashamed at themselves because they know they didn’t act rationally back in the days and they have different way of coping with that. A person that hate you doesn’t generally avoid your gaze, and they take every chances they get to bring you down. No one did that today.

-Erica still insinuated that we didn’t work enough.

-Yeah, but she stopped once I put her back in her place. And she was more defensive than aggressive.

Stiles shrugged. He didn’t care, he was angry.

The following day, the two students went for a hike. They were waiting on the answer of Thais’ relatives, having gone through all the books at their disposal. It had been decided days ago already and they deserved a day off anyway, with the disaster that had been the evening before. They decided to hike at the Sequoia National Park, Thais having never been there. They woke up at six, hurried in packing their bags and getting ready to go.

They arrived at the national park at around ten. They started hiking immediately, in silence. Both enjoying the quietness and the beauty of nature. On their hike, they saw a few marmots, crossed path with a deer and a few small groups of hikers.

Around noon, they found a spot with a nice view and settled down on rocks to have their lunch. They had prepared sandwiches at Stiles’ home and had put them in lunch boxes.

-I like it here. Thais declared, between two bites.

-I do too. Stiles agreed, eyeing the coniferous forest that extended in front of them, miles ahead.

-I’m speaking about Beacon Hills. It’s quieter than Boston. People live closer to nature. That’s nice.

-It’s because you haven’t lived there all your life. It gets boring you know, once you’ve grown up and you realise it’s a small town. Nothing happens, I mean culturally. You have to go out of time to see a spectacle, to visit an interesting museum. And sometimes, it’s too quiet. Sometimes there’s no one in the streets, no noise, it can be oppressing.

-People have access to culture in Boston, but they don’t have access to nature. There are children there who haven’t seen a real animal outside of a zoo. The only forest I grew up with was a forest of building. I’m lucky because my parents brought me out of town for vacation. And you know, noise can be oppressing too. It depends on how you feel at the moment. There’s no place on earth where you’ll feel happy and complete every single day of your life. It doesn’t work like that. You have to find a place where the people you’re with make you feel safe and happy, and where you like the environment. It’s okay to change places, it’s okay to stay at the same place, as long as you feel good there most of the time, it’s the good place for you. If one day you wish to go back for good to Beacon Hills, nothing should stop you, whether be it your friends from there or whatever. You’ve got the legitimate right to find a place where you feel good and to stay there as long as you want to.

Stiles nodded absent-mindedly. It was true that he had thought a few times about going back to Beacon Hills once he’d have obtained his diploma. Every time however, he thought about the welcome he’d receive there and he would immediately push back the entire idea. He’d come to term with the idea that he’d never live there again, but Thais’ monologue had woken up the idea again and made it seem possible.

After they were finished eating, they stayed a while longer, leaning on their arms, just observing their surroundings before going back to their hike.

They reached the point of view mid-afternoon, around three, and were mesmerised by the marvellous view. Sequoias as far as the eye can see, majestic and incredibly beautiful. Below, a small coniferous valley. Thais was amazed, he had been bewildered by the size of the trees, but that was something else. They sat down in front of that view for an hour or so, chatting lightly about anything.

Afterwards, they made their way back to the car. It took them half the time to get back. They made a small tour around the park by car before driving back home. They stopped at a gas station midway to buy a few snacks that would be their diner.

It was already dark outside when they arrived home.

The fourth meeting between Thais and Scott happened at the movie theatre. Allison and Jackson had come up with the idea of a kind of triple date, kind of because Thais and Stiles weren’t dating, hopping it would help ease the tensions between the two of them and between Lydia and Stiles.

They had chosen a film beforehand to avoid conflict right from the beginning, which was a great idea, and had also strategically planned where every person would sit. Jackson, Lydia, Stiles, Thais, Scott and Allison. The two organisers at each end so that no one could go without their agreement, each person having on one side the person with whom they were in conflict and a person that would help them keep calm on the other side.

Everyone met in front of the movie theatre at ten before six. They all greeted each other stiffly and they went into the cinema. During the film, everything went great because no one spoke a word. Not a single commentary on the numerous mismatches, on the look of the cast. Nothing.

After the movie, they went to the restaurant to have diner. They settled on an Italian restaurant because that would satisfy everyone. Diner was a bit more awkward. Lydia asked a few questions about Harvard without showing much interest in the responses she got. Thais and Scott discussed about animals and biology in general. It went rather well until Thais mentioned the fact that he mused over going back to Peru for a few years to work there.

-I could come with you. Stiles suggested lightly.

Of course the situation got out of hand. Again.

-What? You’re going to Peru with him?

-I said “could” Scott, which precisely doesn’t mean I’m going to. It could be an option if Thais agrees.

-It wouldn’t bother me. The Peruvian shrugged.

-But you’ve already been away for five years Stiles.

Stiles frowned.

-What?

-It’s just… I miss you Stiles.

-I do too, but what does it have to do with me going to Peru? I don’t have to stay in Boston. I could go elsewhere.

-It’s just, they’re taking you away from us… well, from me and from your father more than from them but…

-Oh my god, Scott. Allison mumbled, taking her head in her hands.

-No one’s taking no one away from no one. What are you even saying?

-Your new friends they… they’re making you not come back here. They’re keeping you away. They don’t force you, I know that but… I don’t know how to formulate it.

-Look Scott, if someone was keeping me away from here, that wouldn’t be my friends from Boston, that would be some members of your pack.

-That’s funny how you refuse to pronounce their noun. Lydia spat out.

Stiles blinked of surprise before narrowing his eyes at her.

-That’s’ funny how you take offence at everything I say.

-Wouldn’t you like that.

Stiles snorted.

-Of course I wouldn’t, because I don’t care.

-Sure you don’t, otherwise you wouldn’t have gone.

The student pinched his nose, hurt by her words.

-I’m going outside.

He got up hurriedly, failing to spill his drink in his haste. Thais didn’t try to calm him this time. It was of no use.

Once outside of the restaurant, he frantically rummaged through his pockets for a cigarette. He didn’t find any. He didn’t really need it for what it was, more for the moments he associated cigarettes with. He only occasionally smoked, mainly when he was at parties. At that moment, if he wanted a cigarette, it was because it helped thinking of a happy moment with his friends, a moment where he felt free.

-You run away from your problems now, don’t you! You’ve become a coward.

Of course, Lydia had followed him outside. She hadn’t been mean enough by saying that he had never cared about the members of the pack, she had to humiliate him. Stiles admitted without difficulty that he was a coward, but Lydia would never admit that she was a mean girl. Who really was the coward then, huh?

-Go on. He said. I don’t care Lydia! I don’t give a damn about what you think anymore! You think you’re so smart and better than everyone but you don’t know, do you? You’re nothing in more than anyone. Keep treating me like shit, it doesn’t matter anymore. You aren’t the centre of the world. He said, giving a forced laugh.

-Like you’ve ever given a damn about us! You just left Stiles. She responded right away, her tone angry.

-You’re being unfair Lydia! I’ve always been here for any of you and you know it. However, I can count on my fingers the number of times _you_ were there for me.

-Because you never needed it! Because you were always happy!

-No, I was not!

\- Of course you were happy! You were always smiling and joking and laughing. She shouted, throwing her arms in the air.

-That’s the thing about you, Lydia. You know facts, but you don’t know people. He smiled sadly, his annoyance evanesced. As clever and observant you are Lydia, you cannot understand people if you don’t listen to them. You’ve never really listened to me. I’m not angry at you anymore, I’m not resentful. You had reasons to act the way you have, as I had mine. If I didn’t want to come here, to Beacon Hills, it’s because I dreaded the moment I’d have to meet you all, I dreaded your reaction seeing me, but also because I’m prioritizing my time. To be honest with you, Lydia, I’m not sure if you’re worth it or not. I’m not saying this in a bad way, it’s just that I have another life now. I’m a student, I have homework, I have a new home, I have new friends. Things have changed. I have too. Stiles laughed drily. Thinking about it, it’s really sad to dread the moment you will see your High School friends again.

His head was lowered when he heard her let out a snort. The young man raised his head and watched Lydia go back inside the restaurant without giving him a second glance.

He rolled his eyes. The only response he had gotten was a snort. Nice. It wasn’t an utter surprise as he had always known that she was sensitive. It was no less annoying. 

He gave the restaurant a last glance before turning around and making his way back home. He figured someone would pay for him. He didn’t really care at that point.

And Thais was a grown up, he could take care of himself just fine.

Stiles was just a tiny bit fed up.

Nose once again buried in a book, Stiles sighed with frustration. Their still hadn’t found anything and they were still waiting to get an answer from Thais’ relatives. It had been a week since he had sent the message, and still no reply.

Without diverting his attention from the book in front of him, Thais put his hand on Stiles shoulder and squeezed it lightly. They had decided to read all the books again, maybe they had missed a hint somewhere. There had been two new cases of murder, but no pregnancies, it was maybe a coincidence after all. Stiles didn’t know anything anymore. Thais didn’t either.

A good point thought, was that they received help from Allison, Kira, Isaac and Jackson. They had started to make researches as well. It wasn’t really helping per se, as they didn’t find anything either, but it was a nice moral support. Stiles had heard nothing from the other werewolves, not even from Scott.

-Maybe we should just give up on that and go home without telling anyone. Stiles suggested.

He had said that jokingly, but a part of him couldn’t help seriously considering the option.

Thais hummed without paying attention.

He wouldn’t even have taken the time to hum if he had.

A ringtone pulled Stiles outside of his daydream. He grabbed quickly the phone that had produced that sound, which was Thais’, and looked at the message with hope and apprehension. He was quickly disappointed though, when he saw that the sender’s name was Giuseppe, a fellow student. He put the phone back down.

-Giuseppe sent you a meme about Atahualpa. He mumbled, answering Thais’ silent question.

The latter nodded before going back to his reading, soon reluctantly imitated by Stiles. Thais was much more patient than he was.

Thais received another message two hours later. Of course, they ignored it, believing it was once again a false alert. It was only just before diner that Thais opened it.

-We have a lead! He explained from Stiles’ room, while the latter and his father were setting the table.

-What?

-Do you have your phone in hands? The Peruvian inquired, tumbling down the stairs.

-Give me a minute.

-Send a message to Jackson… No to Derek. Tell Derek that we know what it is and ask for a pack meeting or whatever you call it immediately. Sheriff, you should come with us. You said one of your deputies knows about the supernatural world? Tell him to come too, as soon as possible.

-Is it that dangerous?

-No, but the sooner we meet, the sooner we can establish a plan.

-Right.

-Well then, I guess I’ll meet you at Derek’s. The Sheriff said, shrugging.

Stiles nodded, going out of the house to get to his car where Thais was already sitting at the driver seat. Stiles smiled at him, rounding the vehicle to the passenger side.

-So, what is it?

The Peruvian glanced at his friend before reporting his attention on the road.

-A Trauco.

-Never heard about that.

Thais shook his head.

-It’s a creature from Chiloe, it shouldn’t be here.

-But we can be sure that it’s really a trauco, right?

-Pretty much yeah.

-Nice.

Thais chuckle, shaking his head. Maybe “nice” wasn’t the right word, but whatever.

They finally arrived at Derek’s house and quickly got out of the car. They rang the bell once on the porch and waited for someone to open them the door.

Boyd did.

He gave them a wondering look before shuffling out of the way in order to let them enter. They greeted him quickly, receiving only a nod as a welcome. Stiles heard cutlery noise as he made his way inside, partly invited.

-What are you doing here? He was asked by Isaac once he was standing in front of the dining table.

-We have news, we know what it is. Where’s Derek?

-I’m here. He said coming from behind Stiles.

Thais stayed in a corner of the room, arms crossed over his chest.

-My father’s coming with Parrish, can you ask the other to come as well? Or well, order them to.

A nod.

-So, what is it? Isaac inquired, mouth full of the meal he was still eating.

-Thais will tell you once everyone’s here.

-Okay then.

No one spoke until Stiles’ dad and Deputy Parrish arrived at the house. It took a few more minutes for Scott, Allison, Lydia and Jackson to come. The rest of the pack was already there.

The living room was overcrowded once they were all sitting, but it gave Stiles a strange sense of happiness, being stuck between Thais and Jackson. It felt warm.

All eyes were fixed on him until he shoved Thais lightly to prompt him to start speaking. He did with a silent sigh.

-Like we’ve told you, I’ve contacted some of my relatives in Peru to ask them if they knew which creature could be the cause of what’s happening here. I received an answer about one hour ago and it’s most likely a Trauco.

Before anyone could ask anything, he went on.

-A Trauco is a little anthropomorphic creature that comes from Chile and usually stays there. It’s about the size of a dwarf and really, really ugly. The main problem we have is that this particular Trauco goes outside of the forest, which it usually doesn’t do. It’s a being that stays hidden in the forest, waiting for a woman to come and when one does, it bewitches her and impregnates her without her realizing it. For men, it’s mortal. It can kill a man only by looking him into the eyes.

-Can women look him into the eyes without dying? Erica asked, frowning.

-She won’t die, she will be bewitched. The Peruvian said, speaking really slowly as if he was speaking to someone dense. 

For once, it was Stiles who put a hand over his friend’s shoulder.

-Are you working with his energy now, too? Scott wondered, sighing loudly.

-No.

The werewolf hummed and leaned back against the couch, arms crossed. Allison caressed his thigh gently.

-So, back on tracks, to kill the Trauco, we have to either catch it and burn it, or catch it and use some magical oil on it. I suggest we follow the first option as it would take more time to find said oil, my relatives haven’t told me anything about it.

Derek fidgeted.

-Have you a plan?

-We don’t. We wanted to establish one with you. Stiles answered, caressing his neck absent-mindedly.

-One of you guys could disguise yourself like a woman. You don’t have the risk of being impregnated. Kira suggested, sitting on an armchair.

-I believe it would sense the trick. Thais didn’t seem convinced by the idea.

-Allison could go. Noah suggested, shrugging.

-What? No! Scott rebuked.

-How long is your shot Allison?

-Fifty meters I’d say. She said, hesitantly.

-Think about it Scott. All werewolves stay at three hundred meters or so around Allison, once she sees something suspicious, she shoot an arrow at it to immobilise it and she gets away. And even if she’s bewitched, you’ll get there before the creature has the time to do anything.

-Why not Erica? She’s a werewolf!

-Because she has to go right in front of it to catch it, and it would bewitch her before she could act. It must be Allison, we don’t have a choice here. The Sherriff stated, putting an end to Scott’s protestations. 

-We should do that by night so as to minimise the risks of other people wandering in the woods. Is tomorrow night good for everyone? Stiles checked.

Then he realised that Derek had said practically nothing during the whole discussion.

-Do you agree with this plan? He questioned nervously the Alpha, playing with his fingers.

Said Alpha nodded, staring at him.

-Go on.

-Okay, so we could meet here at ten? Everyone should have eaten before. Then we go into the woods together and agree on a meeting spot where the humans will build up the fire. Afterwards, Allison will go and the werewolves will follow her. Remember to be extra cautious when you look somewhere and you should all keep a piece of fabric on hand so that as soon as the Trauco is neutralised you knot it around his head to hide his eyes. And don’t forget to tie his arms and legs. After that, you bring it back to the fire and throw it in. Simple, right?

-Works for me. Derek announced, leaving no room for argument.

Soon afterwards, the Sherriff said his goodbyes because he was tired and declared that he wouldn’t be there the following day, it wouldn’t be necessary. They didn’t need him to build up a fire.

Then it became awkward, no one knew what to say. Thais and Stiles glanced at each other.

-Well, we’ll get going then. See you tomorrow guys.

They stood up and made their way to the door. Thais went out first and when Stiles was about to close the door behind himself, he felt someone holding back the door.

He turned around and found himself face to face with Derek.

-Thank you very much, for all you’ve done for us. The latter murmured, staring at the human right into the eyes.

The student blinked, surprised, then nodded. The werewolf smiled before closing the door.

Derek’s words seemed to hold more sense, as if he was also thanking him for what he had done before he went to college.

It was nice of him.

Stiles got into the car.


End file.
